Mel Woods

Mel Woods

@melwoods.me

Journalist and writer ✨ Investigating anti-trans hate with @antihate.ca Work in The Walrus, Xtra, The Tyee, CBC, HuffPost, etc. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 (they/them) Vancouver Email: mel@antihate.ca Signal: melwoods.90

11.7K followers708 following2.3K posts

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Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

This also means I am open for tips and other information about anti-trans organizing, discourse, and movements across Canada. My new email is mel@antihate.ca ... reach out!

Mel Woods@melwoods.me

Professional news! Today I officially started in my new position as an Investigator with @antihate.ca, where I’ll be focusing on researching, documenting, and reporting on anti-trans hate movements in Canada. It's heavy and challenging work, but work I am excited to dive into. ✨🏳️‍⚧️

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I love when I'm like "that name sounds familiar" .... and it's because he was the MLA who compared trans people to castrated livestock 😬

Jack Farrell@jack-farrell.bsky.social

Story here: ca.news.yahoo.com/newsalert-sh... By @reportrix.bsky.social

ca.news.yahoo.comShane Getson, outspoken UCP backbencher, quits Alberta legislature on eve of sittingEDMONTON — A plainspoken, two-term Alberta United Conservative backbencher who courted controversy and riled up the Opposition NDP is quitting the job effective immediately.
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

👀

Samantha Brennan@samanthabrennan.bsky.social

A new survey of 1,000 American adults found that the strongest supporters of transgender sports bans are not the people who admire women most: they are the people who hold the most hostile views about women. www.helenwebberley.com/news/transge...

helenwebberley.comAre transgender sports bans really about protecting women? | Dr Helen WebberleyThe data says no. Those most hostile to women are most in favour of banning trans athletes.

Mel Woods reposted

Madison Gant
@madgant.bsky.social

Hi. I, a trans woman, am the Executive Producer of this show. I wrote the question. He called trans girls men. He has now said it in three different places in the past week.

This post is unavailable.
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Lost in all of my election reactions, I must say that the no phones Phoebe Bridgers show was truly excellent—like, a top-five concert experience for me all time. I genuinely hope that more artists consider doing the no phones thing, because it really makes everything feel more special.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Also, shoutout to the girlie in the row behind me reading "Parable of the Sower" while waiting for the no phones Phoebe Bridgers show to start. An impeccable vibe!

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I'm not going to argue with everyone pushing back on this take ... I literally wrote about how we should pay attention to the OneBC anti-trans policies in the context of a Con majority government!! I am simply saying we can't hit the panic button one day in. ranch-baby.ghost.io/onebc-gender...

ranch-baby.ghost.ioOneBC’s ‘Gender Ideology Task Force’ is still worth worrying aboutYes, OneBC is fringe. But the broader anti-trans movement won’t go away after this election
Mel Woods@melwoods.me

Seeing a lot of fear-mongering on my timeline tonight from trans folks and allies outside of B.C. Yes, this result is what it is. But this is not a “stockpile your HRT now” situation. And I think suggesting people do that is uneccessary and actively harmful to people who actually live here.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

When I say that this panic is unnecessary and harmful, there is some tangible stuff (HRT shortages are a thing!), but I more mean the impact on our collective mental health and capacity to think and respond rationally long term. We've got four years of this to come. We've got to have perspective.

Mel Woods reposted

Jason Markusoff
@markusoff.bsky.social

Mel Woods, always worth reading.

Mel Woods@melwoods.me

As a journalist, I’ve covered the anti-trans movement in Canada for almost a decade at this point. There’s a lot of room for change from here. My advice tonight is that we all slow down, take a big breath, and ready ourselves for the actual fights to come—and don’t panic over the imaginary ones.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Sometimes we have to celebrate the little things in life 😌

Michelle Cyca@michellecyca.com

Dallas Brodie, who mocked the recall petition against her for only getting 3,663 signatures this summer, earned 805 votes in last night's election — placing last with less than 5% of her own riding, with her party getting 1.5% province-wide. thewalrus.ca/bc-snap-elec...

thewalrus.caThe BC Snap Election Is Uniquely Demoralizing | The WalrusWith all the defections and new parties, do voters know who stands for what?

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Replying to @melwoods.me

As a journalist, I’ve covered the anti-trans movement in Canada for almost a decade at this point. There’s a lot of room for change from here. My advice tonight is that we all slow down, take a big breath, and ready ourselves for the actual fights to come—and don’t panic over the imaginary ones.

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Replying to @melwoods.me

And yeah, there’s some alarm bells from what they’ve promised, like repealing SOGI and the parental rights stuff. But nowhere in their platform is an immediate trans health ban or bathroom bill or anything like that. Not to say that can’t ever happen. But it’s definitely not happening tomorrow.

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Replying to @melwoods.me

For better and for worse, the B.C. Cons are kind of an unknown. They are not OneBC. They certainly have some parts that are like OneBC, but they are also a party of a bunch of factions of the right Frankensteined together that are going to have to figure out how to run a province together.

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Replying to @melwoods.me

I appreciate passion and support from folks outside of B.C. But we actually don’t really know what happens next. And stoking necessary fear over hypotheticals is going to hurt the actual organizing that needs to happen to make things better for people here.

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Seeing a lot of fear-mongering on my timeline tonight from trans folks and allies outside of B.C. Yes, this result is what it is. But this is not a “stockpile your HRT now” situation. And I think suggesting people do that is uneccessary and actively harmful to people who actually live here.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Seeing a lot of fear-mongering on my timeline tonight from trans folks and allies outside of B.C. Yes, this result is what it is. But this is not a “stockpile your HRT now” situation. And I think suggesting people do that is uneccessary and actively harmful to people who actually live here.

View full thread
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

And yeah, there’s some alarm bells from what they’ve promised, like repealing SOGI and the parental rights stuff. But nowhere in their platform is an immediate trans health ban or bathroom bill or anything like that. Not to say that can’t ever happen. But it’s definitely not happening tomorrow.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

As a journalist, I’ve covered the anti-trans movement in Canada for almost a decade at this point. There’s a lot of room for change from here. My advice tonight is that we all slow down, take a big breath, and ready ourselves for the actual fights to come—and don’t panic over the imaginary ones.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Seeing a lot of fear-mongering on my timeline tonight from trans folks and allies outside of B.C. Yes, this result is what it is. But this is not a “stockpile your HRT now” situation. And I think suggesting people do that is uneccessary and actively harmful to people who actually live here.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I appreciate passion and support from folks outside of B.C. But we actually don’t really know what happens next. And stoking necessary fear over hypotheticals is going to hurt the actual organizing that needs to happen to make things better for people here.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

For better and for worse, the B.C. Cons are kind of an unknown. They are not OneBC. They certainly have some parts that are like OneBC, but they are also a party of a bunch of factions of the right Frankensteined together that are going to have to figure out how to run a province together.

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Only now realizing that I will be spending B.C. election night at the no phones Pheobe Bridgers show, completely cut off from the results as they start to roll in.

Mel Woods reposted

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦
@jmcelroy.bsky.social

tapping this sign so hard at so many people this week

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦@jmcelroy.bsky.social

Getting this out of the way early: if you share vote prediction screenshots for individual ridings from election projection websites And frame it as a poll or something with authority And there has been no actual polling done in that riding I will think much less of you please don't annoy me

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

ICYMI from me ... some light pre-election reading on how fringe anti-trans beliefs are still going to be a problem if the B.C. Conservatives win a majority tomorrow

Mel Woods@melwoods.me

New newsletter post from me today, on OneBC's proposed "Gender Ideology Task Force." Yes, OneBC is fringe. But the anti-trans movement in B.C. conservatism isn't going away when this election ends ⬇️ ranch-baby.ghost.io/onebc-gender...

ranch-baby.ghost.ioOneBC’s ‘Gender Ideology Task Force’ is still worth worrying aboutYes, OneBC is fringe. But the broader anti-trans movement won’t go away after this election
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

ICYMI from me ... some light pre-election reading on how fringe anti-trans beliefs are still going to be a problem if the B.C. Conservatives win a majority tomorrow

Mel Woods@melwoods.me

New newsletter post from me today, on OneBC's proposed "Gender Ideology Task Force." Yes, OneBC is fringe. But the anti-trans movement in B.C. conservatism isn't going away when this election ends ⬇️ ranch-baby.ghost.io/onebc-gender...

ranch-baby.ghost.ioOneBC’s ‘Gender Ideology Task Force’ is still worth worrying aboutYes, OneBC is fringe. But the broader anti-trans movement won’t go away after this election
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Only now realizing that I will be spending B.C. election night at the no phones Pheobe Bridgers show, completely cut off from the results as they start to roll in.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

In order to understand my feelings about the Glee reboot (Gleeboot?) you need to understand the very important fan art I was making when I was 15

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I wish I still had a proper picture of the wall to the right in this photo … I cannot stress how deep in the Glee mines I was in 2010.

Mel Woods reposted

andrea bennett (they/them)
@akkabah.bsky.social

BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson voted to allow bills: calling for the ban of gender-affirming care for minors; prohibiting youth from using new names & pronouns in school; abolishing the human rights code. @michellegamage.bsky.social for @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2026/10...

thetyee.caQueer Organizations Sound Alarm over Conservative Anti-Trans Rhetoric | The TyeeMLAs have tried to pass legislation that would strip away human rights and limit access to health care.
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I genuinely have a half-started draft about "You Can See Everything" and Danielle Smith in my notes app I started the moment I got home from my screen Monday night lol (Editors ... anyone want it? 👀)

Rachel Gilmore@rachelgilmore.bsky.social

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has that Elizabeth Holmes diction and I’m tired of everyone being too COWARDLY to say it

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

It is an attempt to bottle the feeling of walking out of that screening straight into referendum results lmao

Mel Woods reposted

tuck woodstock
@tuck.bsky.social

The 12th(!) Gender Reveal grant cycle is now open for applications! As always, these funds are for organizing / community projects led by trans people of color. We are particularly interested in funding existing projects that materially support trans folks, queer people of color, immigrants, etc.

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Update: A new petition is urging Bowkett to resign. The petition targets Bowkett’s social media activity, including posts that perpetuate anti-trans rhetoric. www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/va...

ctvnews.caPetition urges Victoria councillor-elect to resign over social media postsOne of Victoria’s incoming councillors is being pressed to relinquish her new job before it even starts.
Mel Woods@melwoods.me

Some other notable B.C. municipal election news from the weekend ... Wendy Bowkett was elected to Victoria city council. She's done a lot of TERF posting, J.K. Rowling retweets, anti-trans misinformation, etc. (Many posts have been since been deleted, assumedly ahead of the election)

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Checking on the riding-level Alberta referendum results ... the polling location for the town I grew up in went pro-separation 🥴

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

I think a lot of people outside of Alberta currently celebrating the failure of the separation question don't even know about the other nine questions. This is far from over.

Richie Assaly@rdassaly.bsky.social

All five immigration questions will pass by a comfortable margin. Danielle Smith will try to spin this as a mandate to implement policies that will scapegoat and harm immigrants and non-permanent residents. Not a good result.

mainstreetresearch.caLive Alberta Referendums 2026 Results

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Replying to @melwoods.me

Anti-trans activist "Billboard" Chris Elston says he helped OneBC develop this plan, and is offering up his services to other politicians and parties who want something similar x.com/BillboardChr...

Mel Woods reposted

Mel Woods
@melwoods.me

Far-right provincial party One BC has proposed a "gender ideology task force," which would ban trans women from women's spaces, outlaw the teaching of "gender ideology" in schools ,and force government documents to only include sex assigned at birth (among other things!) x.com/One_BCHQ/sta...