Canadian Senate Stonewalling Trans Rights Bill Passage

My Canadian trans cousins were justifiably celebrating along with the rest of the world when on its fourth attempt, C-279, the Trans Rights Bill passed the Canadian House of Commons back March 20, 2013 and moved to the Canadian Senate.

C-279 simply amends the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Criminal Code to add gender identity as a protected class. It was cruising toward passage last summer and Royal Assent until the Conservatives in the Senate started playing games with it after it cleared committee and was at the Third Reading stage. 

The result was the Canadian Senate departed for their summer break without passing the C-279.  To make matters worse, when Parliament was prorogued that summer by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it got legislatively reset in the process after being reinstated by the Senate to the First Reading stage because it was a private member's bill.

Translation: C-279 had to start over in the Canadian Senate legislative process.

C-279 is now at the Second Reading stage as another summer break looms for the Canadian Senate on June 27.   If it's not passed by then, trans Canadians will have to wait until October 1 before the Senate returns to session.

Canadian Senate, and especially Conservative Party Canadian senators, justice delayed is justice denied. 

But then again, just like your fellow conservatives all over the world, you continually show through your actions why conservatism as a political philosophy is despised by marginalized people across the globe.

It's fairly obvious what the Conservative dominated Senate is doing, and it's time to start calling their behinds out on it.  There is a long list of organizations and unions starting to do so, but it think it's past time for trans Canadians to raise their voices.  It's past time to start calling out the Senate and pushing them to pass C-279 because it is the right thing human rights wise to do.

And the world is watching.   

If they continue this reprehensible legislative tactic, I hope you Canadian peeps, and especially my trans Canadian cousins punish the Conservative Party at the polls when your federal election happens in 2015