Calgary MP Rob Anders is taking heat once again, this time over a petition he has created against a private members bill.
Anders launched the petition to oppose the so-called “bathroom bill' or Bill C-279.
The Calgary West MP claims the goal of the bill is to allow transgendered men to use women's washrooms and claims that puts children at risk.
The MP who wrote the bill, Randall Garrison, says the goal is to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression and says Anders' petition is out of line.
“Either this is a case of Mr. Anders not doing his homework or its deliberate promotion of hatred against transgendered people because what he does, is he equates transgendered people with sexual predators or pedophiles and it has nothing to do with those two things, said Garrison
Garrison told CTV News that this proposed amendment was about filling the gaps in the human rights code that did not protect gender identity and gender expression.
Many of those in the Calgary’s transgender community said the petition is annoying but they hope it could raise a little awareness about why the bill was put forward in the first place.
“It demonstrated the need. As long as these kinds of fears and perceptions are out there, there clearly does need to be some explicit inclusion,” said transgender/transsexual advocate, Mercedes Allen.
Rob Anders decline CTV’s request for an interview.
