Over the past decade or so, trans and non-binary youth (TNBY) have become increasingly visible in Quebec, in the media, in the policies of the organisations that serve them and in civil society. In 2016, the Civil Code and the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms were amended, notably to allow trans minors to obtain a change of sex on their birth certificate and explicitly protect gender identity against discrimination. In 2017, it was the federal government's turn to legislate by adding provisions to both the Criminal Code and the Canadian Charter of Human Rights to better protect gender identity and expression. As a result, young trans people are not only more visible, but also better protected by law. That said, situations of exclusion, violence and non-recognition persist, and young trans people continue to experience adversity that compromises their well-being and inclusion. Bill 2 tabled last November by the Quebec government is an eloquent example of this.
Over and above the individualising, biologising and psychologising perspectives found in much of the literature on the subject, it turns out that these difficulties, particularly in the area of mental health, are not inevitable. Individual and collective strategies are deployed by the people and communities concerned to improve their living conditions, highlighting their strengths and their capacity for self-determination. In addition, innovative practices are emerging in schools and in the field to provide social responses tailored to the needs of TNBY and their families.
This colloquium provides an opportunity to cross-fertilise knowledge and take stock of the current state of knowledge in order to gain a better understanding of the situations experienced by TNBY and their families, so as to be able to intervene more effectively. Its aim is not only to look at the experiences of young people with NBD, but also to examine the way in which the interactions between these young people and their environment modify their experience, and more specifically the essential role played by families within these dynamics. Through this dissemination and networking activity, we are proposing to develop a global understanding of the experience of TNBY, taking into account all the social, structural and relational issues they face.
