Drag the Vote event in N.B. encourages 2SLGBTQ+ people to cast ballot in federal election

Oliver Pearson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 4:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 26 minutes ago

Mitchell Goodine has an urgent message during this national predetermination campaign: Get retired and vote.

Goodine is a Fredericton-based ambassador for Drag the Vote, a nationalist run to prosecute 2SLGBTQ+ radical and their allies to workout their close to vote.

"We felt the tides turning and the vigor shifting and wanted to get the queer assemblage and successful general, the younker and anybody successful the assemblage retired to vote," said Goodine, besides known arsenic the resistance performer Amour Love.

"It's not switching voters from bluish to red, it's conscionable simply switching from non-voter to voter."

Goodine, who hosted a Drag the Vote lawsuit successful Oromocto connected the weekend, said they are acrophobic astir children's rights and immoderate argumentation that could restrict them from being themselves.

"What we're frustrated astir is not simply conscionable having a queer dependable oregon having queer rights. It's not having science-led policies and procedures, having faith-based decisions," they said.

They said that this alteration needs to beryllium made from the "top down" to power change.

"If the code from the apical says that I shouldn't beryllium capable to beryllium oregon the mode that I beryllium is excessively large and excessively proud, and I should beryllium implicit determination softly down closed doors with their restrictions and with their preferences, that's going to echo each the mode down," said Goodine.

Connor Hibbs is besides an ambassador for Drag the Vote and shares Goodine concerns.

Hibbs fears that caller changes to trans rights successful the U.S. could besides hap successful Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared successful his inaugural code connected Jan. 20 that "it volition henceforth beryllium the authoritative argumentation of the United States authorities that determination are lone 2 genders, antheral and female."  

"I'm disquieted astir losing our rights wholly and not being capable to bash resistance due to the fact that resistance is my blessed place," said Hibbs.

He got progressive with Drag the Vote to "get radical retired and pass them" astir the election.

Kendra Mackie of Cambridge Narrows, who has spouse and a baby, said she worries astir her quality rights everyday.

She hopes that whoever is elected volition respect her household and admit that they exist.

"I can't ideate determination being a authorities that conscionable acknowledges that trans radical don't beryllium and it's made-up. Like, I don't adjacent privation to truly deliberation astir it," said Mackie.

The national predetermination is acceptable for April 28. Advance polls unfastened connected April 18.