Amanda Jetté Knox doesn’t know who tried to throw a bottle at them from a vehicle while walking home in Ottawa last month, but remembers the feeling of it barely missing their head.
“[It] hit my bangs as it went by,” said Jetté Knox, who identifies as non-binary and uses she/they pronouns. “[They] called me a f–king freak and drove off.”
It was the first time Jetté Knox experienced anything so violent but the proud activist and author has endured plenty of hateful comments since publicly sharing their family’s story several years ago. One of Jetté Knox’s four children is non-binary and came out in 2014; the next year, Jetté Knox’s spouse came out as transgender woman.
Now, they are closely watching the anti-LGBTQ hate billowing in the United States, where gender diversity and gender expression have become popular targets for Republican politicians, far-right groups and online trolls.
Amanda Jetté Knox, seen on the right, and their wife Zoë, live in Ottawa with their four children. (Submitted by Amanda Jetté Knox)
Jetté Knox, and other advocates and experts, see it spreading in Canada as well.
Threatening phone calls recently led to a family-friendly drag performance at Victoria café being called off, while other drag-queen storytime events at public libraries elsewhere in Canada have also been subject to intimidation. Pride flags have been ripped down and/or destroyed in London, Ont., Delta, B.C., and Ottawa. In early June, a 17-year-old was arrested in Mississauga, Ont., for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a West Palm Beach, Fla., Pride celebration.
“It feels like it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing more of this in our own backyard,” Jetté Knox told CBC News.
“I’m a pretty positive person, but I’m worried right now.”
Hate ‘spilling over the border,’ says prof
Anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ hatred is something that is always “simmering,” including in Canada, said Prof. Barbara Perry, director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism based at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa.
A survey released by Statistics Canada in 2020 found transgender people had a greater likelihood of experiencing physical or sexual violence than non-transgender people in Canada. They were also more likely to experience “inappropriate behaviours” in public, at work, and online, which Statistics Canada defined as acts that “make people feel unsafe or uncomfortable” and have a lasting impact on mental and physical health.
But it appears far-right groups here have become more emboldened by what Perry describes as the “horrific narratives and policy shifts” seen in the U.S.
Since the start of this year, the U.S.-based Human Rights Campaign has documented more than 300 proposed bills, introduced in 36 states, that directly target transgender rights, gender diversity and expression. These include attempts to investigate families helping affirm their child’s gender identity to outright limiting education and conversation about LGBTQ people, restricting trangender children from participation in sports, and even going so far as to attempt to bar children from attending drag performances.
“That’s spilling over the border, obviously, into the Canadian narrative as well, and informing the far-right here,” Perry told CBC News.
WATCH | All-ages drag performances subjected to online hate:
All-age drag events in Canadian libraries facing threats and hateful messages
5 days ago
Duration 6:40
Alex Saunders, a drag performer who volunteers and hosts a drag storytime with the Saint John Free Public Library, says they have been the target of hateful messages from right-wing groups.
Advocates accused of ‘grooming’ children
Harmful language aimed at smearing transgender people, and those who support them, as preying upon or indoctrinating children is routinely used online and in right-wing media — in particular, “grooming” or “groomer.”
It’s a trope long been used to disparage LGBTQ people that’s seeing a steep rise in usage online.
Jetté Knox said they get called a groomer online “almost every day” because of their gender identity, because they’re raising non-binary child, or because of their activism for transgender rights.
It’s also happened in person. They were travelling in the United States recently and attended a Virginia school board meeting, with friends and their children, to recognize Pride Month. Protesters hurled insults at them.
“Some pretty awful things were said,” Jetté Knox recalled. “We were told we were indoctrinating children.”
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has documented that narrative appearing in far-right political discourse in this country.
WATCH | A Human Rights Campaign montage of language used against transgender people:
Cancer. Terrorist. Problem.<br><br>These are the ways anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers nationwide are describing the people they serve. <a href=”https://t.co/NrS2LlgRZq”>pic.twitter.com/NrS2LlgRZq</a>
It’s actually far-right groups who are “grooming” people, said Perry, slowly luring new followers to their ideologies by latching onto their concerns and uncertainties.
Some far-right, religious and other groups have portrayed gender-affirming care for transgender youth as “child abuse” and push to restrict access to health care such as hormones to delay puberty and promote development consistent with a child’s gender identity.
Various medical groups, including the American Medical Association, say such policies are “dangerous” and “foregoing gender-affirming care can have tragic health consequences.”
It’s a means of “lending credibility and legitimacy” to extreme views, Perry explained, because they’re presented as “protecting the vulnerable.”
Transphobia a ‘gateway’ to far-right ideology
Focusing on transgender and gender-diverse youth is one way of gaining public approval for broader acceptance of anti-transgender policies and attitudes, said Florence Ashley, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Joint Centre for Bioethics whose work revolves around trans rights.
“Transphobia tends to oftentimes be the sort of like gateway into the far-right,” said Ashley, who uses they/them pronouns.
They noted how social media algorithms also play a role in this. The U.S. non-profit Media Matters For America, for example, examined how anti-trans content on TikTok served as a gateway to far-right and white supremacist content, conspiracy theories and even calls to violence.
Ashley also highlighted similarities the current climate of transphobia has with what’s known as the “great replacement” conspiracy theory disseminated by far-right and white nationalist movements, and in some conservative media outlets. It’s a racist claim that white people are being systematically replaced by immigrants.
The feeling of “losing power in society,” they explained, makes it easier to blame the people you perceive as “trying to replace you.”
It’s something that happens “in times of crisis and high anxiety as we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” said Perry. “We’re always looking for scapegoats, looking for somewhere to direct our anger or fears or anxieties.”
Florence Ashley is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Joint Centre for Bioethics whose work revolves around trans rights. (Submitted by Florence Ashley)
Political power balance can change in an instant
While gender identity and expression are protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code, Jetté Knox is unnerved by the emergence of “more far-right parties,” some of which have candidates who criticize gender diversity and expression.
They worry voters may not be keeping as close an eye on the comments and promises such candidates make about gender diversity issues because it doesn’t an affect their lives the way it impacts Jetté Knox’s LGBTQ family.
Ashley warned it only takes a “shift in political power for groups to really start asserting their will on a population” and that’s why people in Canada should be closely watching what’s happening in the U.S.
They noted how the recent U.S. Supreme Court, stacked with conservative justices during Donald Trump’s single term in office, overturned Roe v. Wade, the nearly 50-year-old decision that enshrined the right to access abortion. That ruling could set a precedent to reverse decisions on same-sex marriage and same-sex intimacy for consenting adults, something Justice Clarence Thomas alluded to in his concurring opinion on the Roe v. Wade ruling.
Jetté Knox urged those who care about the rights and freedoms of gender-diverse people to vote.
“Watching those rights being attacked elsewhere puts a lot of fear in me because it means that they can be attacked in Canada too,” they said. “I think that those things will be challenged and I think that we have to get ready for it.”
Creating a positive online space for trans people
Despite the apparent rise of online slurs and hate against LGBTQ people, young transgender people like Vancouver’s Noah Yang are helping maintain positivity in online spaces and inform others about transgender experiences.
Yang, who uses the pronouns he and him, shares his gender-affirmation journey on Instagram. He said he’s fortunate to have only experienced negativity “a handful of times” and has largely received encouragement.
“It was unexpected that showing the physical scars and the physical changes would inspire people and, you know, open people’s eyes up to … what can really happen throughout someone’s transition.”
Noah Yang, who has been documenting his medical transition for nearly four years, said it started out as something personal for him but he later felt a responsibility to share his story and be open about his experience. (Submitted by Noah Yang)
He acknowledges not everyone has the ability to drown out the negativity being directed at gender-diverse people. But, for Yang, the importance visibility outweighs any hate.
“I do think it is beneficial because I feel that, you know, it’s not just trans folks who see the page,” he said.
MILAN (AP) — Bologna’s preparations for its Champions League debut are not going well though it managed to spoil Como’s first Serie A home match in 21 years on Saturday.
Bologna came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw to gather three points from its opening four matches.
Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Its only other appearance in Europe’s top competition was in 1964 in the preliminary round of the old European Cup.
AC Milan is also winless as it prepares for a Tuesday Champions League match against Liverpool. The Rossoneri hosted promoted Venezia later. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0.
Como made a great start in the fifth minute when Patrick Cutrone attempted to roll the ball across the six-yard box but it took a huge deflection off Bologna defender Nicolò Casale for an own goal.
Bologna thought it was gifted a way back into the match on the stroke of halftime when referee Marco Piccinini signalled for a penalty following an Alberto Moreno handball, but he revoked his decision and instead gave a free kick because the handball was just outside the area.
Bologna improved after the break but found itself further behind when Cutrone raced onto a through ball and cut inside past a defender and fired into the far bottom corner.
Tommaso Pobega hit the post for Bologna, which finally pulled one back in the 76th through substitute Santiago Castro.
Another substitute helped the visitors snatch a point when Samuel Iling-Junior curled a fine strike into the top left corner in stoppage time.
Unbeaten sides
Juventus, and more surprisingly Empoli, are among six unbeaten sides.
Empoli held Monza and Bologna to draws either side of a shock 2-1 win at Roma. Juventus’ perfect start to the season was ruined by Roma in a goalless draw before the international break.
On Saturday, there were few clearcut chances in Empoli although home goalkeeper Devis Vásquez made spectacular saves to fingertip out a Federico Gatti header and deny Dusan Vlahovic in a one on one with the Juventus forward.
Empoli had a good opportunity in the 73rd minute following an Alberto Grassi one-two with Pietro Pellegri but the finish was straight at Mattia Perin.
The host could have won it right at the death but Gatti flew in with a great sliding block to keep out Emanuel Gyasi’s close-range effort.
Juventus hosts PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
