Signal-boosting for fellow citizens of so-called Canada

[sabotabby]

 As you know, Bob, it's getting increasingly genocidal towards trans and non-binary people out there. And for some reason our government, slightly less foaming-at-the-mouth omnicidal than either the Americans or the Brits, insists on pretending that the rest of the Anglosphere is governed by civilized people who can be reasoned with, when we all know that's not the case.

Accordingly, if you can, please sign this petition to grant asylum status to trans and non-binary folks who flee their country of origin due to persecution.

Also, it shouldn't need saying, but fuck borders and no one is illegal.

Comments

[ex_flameandsong751]

Everyone keeps telling me to get out and go to Canada NOW, which I actually can't afford to do [starting with, I am on disability], but it would still be good if there was an asylum option for those who can take it [while obviously the best would be if my country wasn't headed down the path of putting people like me in camps, but if wishes were horses I would own several unicorns, so]. Thank you for posting this.

[sabotabby]

Alas if Poilievre ever gets in we'll have camps up here too. Plus I'll have to learn how to spell his stupid name without googling it.

Anyway I don't think fleeing is practical for the most part but I always look with an eye to how to hide people if necessary.

[ex_flameandsong751]

OK, I died laughing at the remark on Poilievre's surname [I just copypasted from your comment because yeah].

Yeahhhhhh it's unfortunate y'all have a fash problem up there too. I do get frustrated as "leave" as the only option presented to trans people, says the disabled guy living in a very conservative state [I've already moved cross-country to escape domestic abuse twice, I don't think a lot of people casually throwing out the "just leave" suggestion understand how much of a traumatic upheaval moving is even within the same country, never mind international, and I pretty much can't afford to do it again with inflation/cost of living being what it is now]. And there's no guarantee that moving to someplace like Canada won't be "out of the frying pan, into the fire" if Copypasta Guy gets in, which is another thing the "just leave" people don't get.

Sorry, on my soapbox. Thank you, again, for caring about us, especially when it feels like the whole world is against us.

[agoodwinsmith]

Erm. I just did a google translate, and if we spell it Poil Lievre it translates as rabbit hair. I'm rather glad about that.

[armiphlage]

Rainbow Railroad does what they can, and they do have a good track record of getting 2SLGBTQIA+ people recognized in Canada under the UN Convention, with all the (limited) benefits thereof. Recognizing specific legal threats by country would expedite matters - instead of proving A) someone wasn't straight, B) the person was a resident of an unsafe country, and C) was at risk because of the unsafe country's legislation, they'd just have to do A and B.



(bias note: two Rainbow Railroad refugees lived in my apartment for nearly three years, so I've mostly seen the successful results of Rainbow Railroad's work, not the difficulties with smuggling people in and prepping the cases for the tribunal)

[ex_flameandsong751]

It's not even getting there. I could find a friend in Michigan or New York to drive me over the border. It's what I do once I'm there. I don't have any means of supporting myself other than Social Security disability, which I've been on for 20 years. I have no college education [learning disabilities + neurological issues that make higher education more or less impossible] and no marketable job skills, I am too physically disabled and PTSD-addled to try to get a job at McD's or some other manual labor job, and I have N24SWD which means keeping a job with a regular schedule [and deadlines] isn't feasible. I can't live in Canada as a refugee and collect Social Security. I don't think I need to tell you what I'd have to do to survive and I already did that in my early 20s when I was waiting for my disability to go through and I'd really rather not do that again.

So no, it's not just about finding a safe route to Canada, it's about not having to spread my legs or deal drugs to survive once I'm there.

Not to mention that I'd be leaving behind my cats, my only support system [trying to start all over again someplace like that with no support network is terrifying], and just...

...It. Is. Not. An. Option. For. My. Situation.

I'm not saying don't share the information about Rainbow Road to those who need it, but also please don't assume that it's just getting across the border that is the thing keeping me out of Canada, it's the entire logistics of survival.

[xturtle]

Our antecedents didn't stop moving and throw a society so that we would have to every-one-for-themself it out of political nightmares. "Just move" has been made untenable by the fucking march of time, I hate that "solution" so bad. Fucksake, it's bad enough that my MN community is trying to figure out how to provide "asylum" to folks from other parts of our own country. In conclusion, fuck borders, fascism, and telling people to move instead of seeking to make them safe. Sending love from here. <3

[ioplokon]

it's an interesting idea, i just fundamentally don't see canada ever actually granting asylum to anyone from the US or UK, just bc of the geopolitical implications. I've always figured the best that could be hoped for is a draft dodger scenario where there's just passive nonenforcement.

[sabotabby]

Agreed. Which is fine, honestly, as long as no one gets deported. But they are trying to deport asylum seekers for other reasons so I am not holding out hope.

[yhlee]

As a USAn, I will be honest: I have considered "get the hell out of Dodge" as an option but (a) I have the resources to leave the country and have lived abroad before, albeit on easy mode; (b) probably the "easiest" place for me to go would be South Korea, which is not exactly a bed of roses either. (Abortion became LEGAL in 2021. There was a court ruling last month [Feb 2023] that same-sex couples are entitled to the same health benefits as straight couples. So yeah.) Which sucks because (c) my husband speaks zero Korean and would rather go to Canada, where he could very theoretically get a work visa as Highly Educated (astrophysicist with a PhD from MIT, B.A. from Cornell, currently works at Caltech) AND ALSO he's so reluctant to go, this doesn't help me if I need to leave before he's willing to.

[sabotabby]

Yeah, that makes it so much more complicated.

For some reason I thought Korea had its act together more. Why I thought that, I don't know. (Answer: K-dramas make it look nice and fun and everyone I know here who's Korean just goes back for vacations and the like.)

[dewline]

Already signed that one! (Just checked my e-mail files to reconfirm that!)

Also, noting that PMJT has effectively put his name next to the cause as of yesterday...not that we didn't already suspect this, but it's reassuring to have it on record in this way.

https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1633468198636113922

[sabotabby]

Good, though he specializes in nice-sounding rhetoric with no action to back it up.

[dissectionist]

While I did sign it, I think it’s exceedingly unlikely this petition or any other involving the US will succeed, unfortunately. For something like this to happen, it would require the US being disqualified under Factor 3 of the Safe Third Country Agreement. If we tried to do that it would open up a political shitstorm of epic proportions with our biggest trading partner.

That being said, the UK isn’t designated in this way, and they aren’t a major trading partner in the way the US is, so I see fewer barriers to accepting refugees from the UK. Hopefully we’ll be able to at least do that.

It does look like some states may be planning to step up to offer support to trans refugees from regressive states, so that will help some folks that have the ability to move. There’s a lot of state VS state actions happening right now, like with regressive states declaring they won’t do business with pharmacy chains that provide abortion pills, and then other states declaring they won’t do business with chains that _don’t_ provide abortion pills. Or some states suing to do something (like block access to abortion pills via mail) and other states countersuing for the opposite.

I think (I hope) that trans rights are going to become another one of these battlegrounds, with regular states throwing their weight against more regressive states. That’s far better than the alternative, which is regressive states doing whatever they want with no pushback or consequences.

[sabotabby]

I mean, we should be tearing up the Safe Third Country Agreement, no? With the whole America putting kids in cages thing?

[ioplokon]

California is definitely already fighting that battle, and honestly part of why I'm not as worried about TN's health insurance shenanigans. Like, insurers are required to cover gender affirming care in order to operate in California. Do you think they'd risk being cut out of the CA market for Tennessee? Of course, the ultimate losers in that scenario are, as always, the people of Tennessee.

Biggest issue w/ CA as a refuge is cost of living; really have no idea how a family could move here from a southern state.

[greylock]

The UK isn’t designated in this way, and they aren’t a major trading partner in the way the US is, so I see fewer barriers to accepting refugees from the UK.

Are you aware of "Stop The Boats" in the UK?

There’s a lot of state VS state actions happening right now

And plans for a "naztional divorce" (a typo, I'm keeping it) by temporary speaker of the congress Majorie Traitor-Hypocrite and others.

[agoodwinsmith]

Have signed.

[sabotabby]

Thanks.

[lynnenne]

fuck borders and no one is illegal

THANK YOU. And thank you for that link.

[sabotabby]

Thank you. <3 Via flamingsword but I saw it elsewebs a little while ago.

[greylock]

"so-called Canada" sounds like something a Sov Cit would say.
Oy.

[sabotabby]

It's something that many Indigenous folks and those who support them say, because Canada was an entity that was and is forced on them.

[armiphlage]

Off topic, do you or any friends have an account with Riseup.net? I'm interested in getting an account there for a secure email to use when tilting at windmills, but they are invite-only.

https://riseup.net/en/email/settings/mail-accounts

[sabotabby]

I don't, alas. I can ask around.