Mia Hughes Article Argues "Gender Identity" Concept Leads to Legal Chaos in Canada

Ottawa, Canada – Mia Hughes, a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) and Director of Genspect Canada, has published a new article asserting that the concept of "gender identity" is an "incoherent activist-crafted concept" that has led to significant legal and societal challenges in Canada. Her piece, titled "Gender identity in Canadian law—definition, origins, and societal impact," was released on November 4, 2025, for MLI's Inside Policy.

Hughes contends that the legal recognition of gender identity, particularly through legislation like Bill C-16 in 2017, occurred without a clear definition, creating what she describes as "legal chaos." She states, "Gender identity is an incoherent activist-crafted concept that permits individuals to assert inner identities that contradict observable reality, while framing it as 'discrimination' when others refuse to treat that identity claim as objectively true." This, she argues, distinguishes it from other protected characteristics.

The article details how the inclusion of gender identity as a protected characteristic directly conflicts with existing sex-based protections for women and girls. Hughes highlights impacts on single-sex spaces such as prisons, shelters, and sports, where policies allowing individuals to be housed or compete based on self-declared gender identity have raised concerns about safety and fairness. She points to instances where male inmates identifying as female have been placed in women's correctional facilities.

Hughes further criticizes the teaching of gender identity in schools, asserting it is presented as "scientific fact" despite lacking biological basis. She warns that this approach "untethers children from reality and leads those most vulnerable down a path towards irreversible, unproven medical interventions." Hughes also notes that Bill C-4, intended to criminalize conversion therapy, has effectively banned therapeutic exploration for gender distress if it aims to reconcile a young person with their biological sex.

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a non-partisan public policy think tank, has previously published content critical of gender-affirming care, including a statement by 14 physicians in 2025 concluding that "gender-affirming care" for minors has "proven risks and harms, but unproven benefits." Mia Hughes is also the director of Genspect Canada, an organization described by some sources as opposed to gender-affirming care for trans youth.