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It’s official! Bills 13 and 33, Ontario’s anti-bullying and gender identity bills, were given royal assent today at 3:15 pm. This means that the bills have officially become law, marking a new era for LGBTQ rights and recognitions in Ontario.
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An Invitation to Celebrate!
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Queer Ontario will be hosting a Victory Party on Saturday, June 23rd at the 519 Community Centre’s Ballroom, where we will have some special guests, light food, and of course: some cake! Event details can be found on our website, here, and on our Facebook Page, here.
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Information about Bill 13 can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2549

Information about Bill 33 can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2574
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We hope to see many of you there!
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Hello Everyone,
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This is a quick and joyous note to let you know that, as of 10:04 am today, Ontario became the first province in Canada (and the second jurisdiction, after the Northwest Territories) to accept ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds in its Human Rights Code. That is, Toby’s Act — or Bill 33, a bill to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds in the Ontario Human Rights Code — ceremoniously passed third reading and is set to receive royal ascent in the next couple of days. (Xtra!’s story, here: http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Ontario_passes_trans_rights_bill-12122.aspx)
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A special note of thanks goes out to NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi, and Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott for supporting and championing this fourth version of the bill. And, of course: to the Trans Lobby Group for its unfaltering activism.
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Indeed, here’s hoping that the related bills being considered federally and in Manitoba are just as successful,
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Martin Otarola
Queer Ontario Secretary
On behalf of the Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012 — 2nd Reading of Bill C-297, the Federal ‘Gender Identity’ Bill
This is the Bill that will amend both the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms and the Criminal Code to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds under the discrimination and hate crimes provisions.
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You can find out more about the Bill here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=5122660&Mode=1&Language=E
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You can catch the Parliamentary proceedings on CPAC:
http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&template_id=1073&hl=e
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Update: Bill C-279 passed with 150 votes in favour and 132 votes against. It will now be sent to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights where it will be reviewed before being sent back to the House of Commons for a third reading and vote.
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Note: There’s still time to take action on Bill C-279!
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As you may know, there is a Conservative Majority government, which means that the success of the Bill will depend largely on Conservative votes. If you haven’t already done so, please email or call your MP and ask them to support Bill C-279,  especially if they are a member of the Conservative Party. Every email and phone call counts!
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A list of current MPs, with a link to their contact information, can be found here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx
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If you are unsure of who your MP is, you can find your riding here http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/FindED.aspx and search for it in the MP list above.
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Share around and get others to do the same…

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012 — 3rd Reading of Bill 13, the Ontario Accepting Schools Act
This is the bill that will establish anti-bullying legislation in all Ontario Schools. The final vote is set to take place after Question Period.
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You can find out more about the Bill, here: http://ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2549
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You can catch the Legislative proceedings on the Queen’s Park webcast: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/go2.jsp?Page=/webcast/webcast_main&locale=en&menuItem=dandp_webcast
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Update: Bill 13 passed with 65 votes in favour and 36 votes against.
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