Rising hate casts pall over Pride, spotlights need for protest along with celebration
CTV
The rise in anti-transgender sentiment and hate crimes targeting people the LGBTQ2+ community is casting a shadow over Pride Month celebrations.
Anna Murphy receives so many death threats, she's become friends with the Calgary police officer she reports them to.
As a transgender woman in the public eye, she's subjected to an avalanche of hate -- one that she and other community members and experts say has intensified in recent years, underscoring the need for protest alongside celebration during Pride.
Murphy says that while many members of the LGBTQ2S+ community -- herself included -- have had negative experiences with police, she's lucky to be able to rely on one of the officers who investigates hate crimes.
"I know that I can give him a call and be like, 'Hey, guess what just happened on a Saturday morning while having my coffee?"' Murphy says. "Not only is he great about being a police officer, but he's also a good friend.
"As morbid as it is, we find a way to laugh about it. He finds a way to take the pressure and the fear away."
But despite the support she receives, Murphy, who is a community organizer, says the constant stream of vitriol is exhausting.
She has watched anti-transgender sentiment grow in tandem with the rise in institutional acceptance of LGBTQ2S+ people over the past few years.
