HEU stands in solidarity with the students, faculty, and the broader community of the University of Waterloo, especially those who were targeted in a hateful attack on June 28.
Universities should be places for students to learn without fear, and where faculty and staff can expect to be safe at work.
We stand with many others who are enraged by the hate-based violence that was inflicted on students and professors of Philosophy 202: Gender Issues.
As a union, we educate our members through our union courses on feminism, the gender-binary, anti-racism, colonialism, and social justice. The struggles of workers are linked to struggles that fight systems of oppression.
Misogyny, transphobia and white supremacy are on the rise in Canada. The right-wing politicization of education and the fear of “indoctrination” in education puts gender-diverse people and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at risk of increased violence.
This disinformation about the diversity of sex, gender and sexuality must always be challenged.
We continue to call on governments to do everything in their power to stop the violence and hate in our communities and help keep members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community safe.