Morgane Oger foundation to fight hate against trans community
Activist Morgane Oger has launched an advocacy and legal foundation focused on combating hate crimes toward the trans community.
“The Morgane Oger Foundation envisions a nation where there is no inequality or discrimination in the application of our laws,” said Oger, who serves as the foundation’s executive director. Oger is also a vice-president of the B.C. NDP.
“It is long overdue for Canadians to know that new and existing laws are not purely symbolic. If leveraged, they have the ability to make all of our lives equitable and fair.”
The foundation aims to “narrow the gap between the law and its application,” according to a news release, and will educate and advocate for the rights of transgender individuals, including through legal interventions if needed.
“We’ll help enforce human rights laws by financially supporting legal cases aimed at setting legal precedent in Canada,” Oger said in a tweet Tuesday announcing the foundation’s launch.
The newly established organization — which has the support of legal advocates, activists and politicians — has already taken steps to engage with advocates and leaders of marginalized groups including those in Indigenous communities.
“As a parent of a transgender child, this foundation means a lot to me because I now know there’s an organization fighting for my child,” said Brad Dirks.
The Langley parent has been working alongside Oger to fight the rise in anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the Fraser Valley.
Most recently, Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld was thrown into the spotlight when he commented that allowing a child to choose their gender amounted to “child abuse.” His comments criticized the B.C. government’s Sexual Orientation Gender Identity education program that was established to ensure safe, inclusive and welcome schools.
Since then, a number of individuals in education and the local community have called for Neufeld’s resignation, while the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association passed a motion of non-confidence against the Chilliwack Board of Education last month.
“Hate crimes jumped 25 per cent in B.C. in 2016,” said EsquimaltSaanich-Sooke MP Randall Garrison. “An organization like the Morgane Oger Foundation can help Canadians fight against the worrying rise in hate since 2013.”