'We don't need to be complicit anymore': Transgender activist group fights back against bus campaign with counter ad

Activists run counter ad on LTC buses A pro-trans rights group has raised thousands of dollars to buy LTC ads, CTV London's Reta Ismail explains why.

A local transgender activist group is fighting back after the London Transit Commission (LTC) began running an advertisement last month that reads, “Put the brakes on medical transitions for minors.”

The advertisements, which are currently running on three buses throughout the city, were bought by the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA).

President and founder of Fairy Godparents, London & Area (FGLA) Stevie Bees Brocksom said after seeing those ads, they were extremely disappointed.

“It’s really upsetting, I really don’t have a lot of words, like it’s just truly upsetting that misinformation can be publicly posted like that,” said Brocksom.

Taking matters into their own hands, FGLA raised just over $8,000 for a new LTC bus ad campaign to counter the one that is currently running.

The new ad reads, “Protect Trans Kids; Trust kids when they tell you who they are,” and will run on 12 city buses from Jan. 20 to March 16.

“It's meant to be visibility, for trans rights, trans rights are human rights,” continued Brocksom. “We want trans kids to see themselves represented in media. And, yeah, I think it's really important, especially when there's so much misinformation out there, it’s important to counter the misinformation of as much as possible.”

Last month, LTC chair Stephanie Marentette told CTV News that if they are going to offer advertisements, they have to comply with the charter, despite the fact that the “Let Kids Be” messaging does not align with its values.

“The fact that it’s controversial isn’t going to trigger a right for us to exclude it, it has to be one of those elevated criteria under the charter,” said Marentette.

Katie Dean, co-founder of Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition and a parent of a trans child, disagrees and said LTC approved the ads for fear of being sued.

“It's misinformation that is being supported by the LTC,” continued Dean. “I feel like the London Transit Commission is a publicly funded organization and has the ability not to, to choose not to display these ads.”

Dean referred to the Ontario Human Rights Code, which says “People are protected from discrimination and harassment because of gender identity and gender expression.”

Brocksom referenced a similar case out of Hamilton, Ont., where that city rejected a bus shelter advertisement that officials said could cause harm to the transgender community. A year later, Ontario court upheld the city’s decision, not allowing the ads to run.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for ARPA said, “Through its ‘Let Kids Be’ campaign and related bus ads and billboards, ARPA wants to encourage Canadians to continue to engage in a serious conversation about the propriety of medical transitioning for minors.”

Dean maintains the ads are harmful to trans youth, and has written letters to City Council, and the London Transit Commission, along with submitting a complaint to Ads Standards Canada.

“We don't need to be complicit anymore, we need to fight for people's rights and that starts at standing ground and saying, ‘No, this is promoting hatred,’” said Dean.