The velvet thread: Weaving queer stories & perspectives

The new assimilationists: Anti-trans and anti-pride factions in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community

The fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights has never been a seamless march of solidarity. From the earliest days of activism, a dividing line has separated those who sought visibility and liberation from those who favoured quiet assimilation.

Today, a once-muted faction within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has loudly re-emerged, echoing the assimilationists of the 1950s and 1960s. They argue that modern Pride movements have gone “too far,“ that transgender rights are a step too extreme, and that the increasing visibility of queer identities has triggered a backlash that could have been avoided if only the community had stayed in the shadows.

Just as individuals in the past tried to distance themselves from the queer liberation movement, some today have been actively campaigning against SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) resources in schools. They have adopted the same rhetoric as far-right groups that claim gender identity education is harmful to children.

This sentiment is found not just in social media comments but in organized efforts against trans rights and queer visibility from within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community itself. One gay man and his supporters from Vancouver Island campaigned to shut down drag events and align themselves with extreme-right political ideologies that aim to dismantle hard-won protections for queer people. He claims that gender affirmation is “a political and/or faith-based belief system.“

He also campaigned heavily to support an anti-SOGI and aggressively anti-trans candidate for a school trustee byelection in Castlegar in 2024. On March 1, 2025, he was photographed at the BC Conservative general meeting with former Chilliwack school trustee Barry Neufeld, who is the defendant in a current case before the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

Photography by Olivia Scholes

Photography by Olivia Scholes

Another activist, a Lower Mainland lesbian grandmother who runs a website dedicated to pushing extreme-right rhetoric, has built a following primarily consisting of cisgender, heterosexual conservatives. Her attacks on inclusive education reveal just how deeply entrenched she is in their worldview. She recently wrote regarding a February 2025 school trustee byelection in Chilliwack, B.C., in reference to SOGI:

“[Nine] years, our kids have been subject to this ideological cultural corruption. We were told it was going to be anti bullying. It never quite turned out like that though. My friends in Chilliwack, I hope we do our research, and really understand what and who we vote for in the 2026 municipal elections, which includes voting for a completely new sd33 board. [sic]“

This rhetoric is not just alarmist; it is dangerous.

It reinforces the idea that queer and trans-inclusive education is a form of corruption rather than an essential tool in fostering safe and accepting communities. It shows that her primary audience is not other 2SLGBTQIA+ people but rather the same right-wing voters who seek to erase queer identities from public life.

This pattern is repeated across British Columbia and beyond, where so-called “gay and lesbian influencers“ champion anti-trans policies while finding themselves embraced not by the queer community but by reactionary political forces.

Before the Stonewall Riots that kicked off more radical queer activism in 1969, many within the gay and lesbian community sought acceptance through conformity. Organizations like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis encouraged queer people to dress and behave in ways that would not attract attention. They hoped that by blending in they would demonstrate that they weren’t a threat, and thus would be granted equal rights. But history proved them wrong.

Stonewall, led by trans women of colour, drag queens and other marginalized queer people, shattered the illusion that quiet acceptance could lead to true equality. Only direct action and unapologetic visibility made real progress. The emergence of Pride parades, the demand for legal protections and the expansion of rights for queer people all stem from the belief that visibility is not the enemy — oppression is.

A former Kelowna Pride board member recently told me, “Pride has become too political.“ Many gay and lesbian individuals online argue that the modern Pride movement has brought about its own backlash by demanding too much, too fast. They claim that trans activism, drag events and intersectionality have pushed society to a breaking point and that this is why the queer community is facing intense political attacks.

But silence is not safety. The attacks on trans rights are not isolated—they are part of a broader effort to roll back 2SLGBTQIA+ protections as a whole. We see this reality unfolding in real time in the U.S. Book bans target queer authors. Legal protections for trans individuals are erased. New policies explicitly cast 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals as security threats. The notion that those who separate themselves from trans advocacy will be spared is not just naïve — it is dangerous.

Even as some right-wing gay and lesbian activists work against trans rights, they are often rejected by the very groups they seek to align with. Last fall, members of a right-wing gay anti-trans organization attempted to join anti-SOGI demonstrations in Abbotsford, B.C. carrying rainbow flags adorned with their group’s logo. But organizers of the demonstration wanted nothing to do with the rainbow symbol and forced them out. This is the grim reality: no matter how much they distance themselves from the broader queer community, the far-right movements will never support them.

Queer organizations, particularly Pride committees and advocacy groups, must take a proactive role in educating people within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community about the dangers of sacrificing one part of our community in exchange for a false sense of protection. Those who seek to assimilate at the expense of others will find that silence will not guarantee their safety.

Instead, Pride must continue to be a force for unity, visibility and activism. We must push back against the idea that trans rights and queer visibility are responsible for political backlash. The truth is that those who hate us will find other excuses to attack our rights, regardless of how “respectable“ or “quiet“ we tried to be.

Pride has always been political. It must remain political. And it must remain a space where we fight for all members of the community—trans, nonbinary, drag performers, and everyone else under the 2SLGBTQIA+ umbrella. Because if we allow the erosion of rights for one segment of our community, we are only paving the way for the loss of rights for us all.

Wilbur Turner (he/him) is a Kelowna-based writer, queer community advocate and founder of Advocacy Canada.