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Moose Jaw police have charged two people with assault after investigating reported violence toward a member of the LGBTQ community last week.
The two youths charged with assault cannot be named since they are under the age of 18. According to a news release, police received a call about the alleged attack near Westmount School on Aug. 28.
Taylor Carlson, the executive director of Moose Jaw Pride, was disturbed to hear of the attack against a transgender youth, and see a video of it circulated online.
“They were assaulted under the basis of their gender identity and expression – two things that are protected ground under the Human Rights Act,” Carlson said.
“Beyond that, morally and ethically, that violence is reprehensible.”
Carlson, who is also the executive director of the Saskatchewan Pride Network, said there have been plenty of conversations and an outpouring of support for the victim since the attack.
Those sentiments have also been matched with grief and sadness as video of the attack continued to be shared. Carlson spoke with the victim and agreed not to share the video amongst the community to protect the victim’s identity while also hoping to avoid retraumatizing them.
“For any young person, it’s very, very important that they are invoked to continue their educational experience and life pathway without their victimization informing other people’s experiences or interactions with them,” Carlson said.
“For any victim of violence, to be able to move forward in some way without having to be constantly retraumatized is very important, and it’s a very easy thing for a community to do on behalf of someone.”
Carlson’s work as executive director of the Saskatchewan Pride Network is to support LGBTQ people in rural Saskatchewan communities.
While much of Moose Jaw sympathizes with the victims, Carlson said the treatment and understanding of members in LGBTQ community must improve in many parts of rural Saskatchewan.
“They are listening to the social and political discourse that we are listening to,” Carlson said. “We really need to wake up as adults. That discourse, while it may be entertaining as an adult, is not appropriate for children.”
“It has real impacts on the way children interact with the world and with their peers, and sometimes that results in violence.”
One of the accused is also charged with assault with a weapon. Both were released on numerous conditions ahead of their court appearances.
The victim was not seriously hurt.
