Rising on a point of personal privilege Wednesday, the NDP MLA formerly known as “Emily” Tredger announced they are non-binary, and announced their name change to Lane Tredger. 

The first-term Whitehorse Centre representative made history as the first non-binary member of the Legislative Assembly of the Yukon.

“I am announcing a change to my name and pronouns,” Tredger told the House.

“My first name is changing from Emily to Lane. I am now Lane Tredger. My pronouns are ‘they’ and ‘them,’” stated Tredger. 

The reason they chose the name “Lane” was because it was the first name they found on a list of names that felt like it had room for them in it. 

“It was a big decision,” Tredger later told reporters.

“It’s a big change personally. It’s a big change in the way I interact with the world. But it was also a very easy decision because it was really clear to me that that was the way forward for me.”

When their old name and pronouns were used, Tredger said, it didn’t sound like them. 

They said this new identity sounds and feels like them. 

“This is who I am. This is who I want to be in the legislature,” the MLA said.

“I want the legislature to have space for people who are queer and who are trans. And so yeah, it was important to me that I do that in all the spaces I’m in,” they said. 

The historic moment for the LGBTQ2S+ was celebrated by a group of students from the Porter Creek Secondary School Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), who came to support Tredger in their announcement to the House. 

A student in the GSA named Anya Lera said this was huge for them to have representation in the legislature, and it makes them feel “really seen.

“I think it’s very huge for us because it means that we have representation in the government,” said Lera. 

“And there’s so many of us at Porter Creek and in the Rainbow Room who identify as non-binary, and just to have a role model to look up to and someone who is in the parliament in the government who identifies the same as us and understands how we feel.”

About 20 kids in the GSA ranging from Grades 8 to 12 attended Tredger’s announcement. 

“Hopefully this will be a big thing, and you’ll be able to say that it’s OK to be non-binary and it’s OK to be gay,” said Lera. 

“However, you feel you can still have a job like this and be non-binary and you’ll still be accepted by the community.”

Tredger said having so many young people here in support of them made them feel “overwhelmed in the best way,” and that it made Tredger feel emotional thinking about it. 

“I was just really, really lucky and really, really grateful to have the Rainbow Room from Porter Creek Secondary School come; they’re so wonderful. They’re so lovely.

“I absolutely adore every moment I get to spend with them. And they’ve actually been a big inspiration for me in this process,” said Tredger. 

“I’ve learned a lot from them, I’ve learned from them ways that I think about gender are outdated and old-fashioned and I’ve gotten to grow because of it, and I’m really grateful to them. They’ve taught me a lot.” 

Jason Cook, a teacher at Porter Creek and a longtime friend of Tredger, said when Tredger texted him last week to let him know of their pending announcement, he asked the kids if they wanted to attend in support.

“I went right to the kids and ask them if they wanted to go and be there in that moment to support someone. 

“I said to them, ‘you’re coming out to each other, you’re coming out to teachers, you’re coming out to family, and think about how difficult that is. Now imagine Lane here has to come out to the world.’

“‘There’s going to be media and video cameras. Can you imagine how scary that would be?’

“Do you want to go and support them in the room when they make this historic announcement?’ And, as you saw, they were elated to,” Cook said. 

The community supports each other, Cook said, and he hopes the kids see someone like Lane and aspire to be like them some day. 

The Porter Creek GSA was formed in 2019.

The original group, who’ve graduated now, opened up the rainbow room which is a safe space for students in the LGBTQ2S+ community. 

Over the years, the GSA has worked hard advocating and creating change for the protection of LGBTQ2S+ students in the Yukon. 

With the help of Tredger recently, the GSA saw Bill 304 passed. It’s the act to amend the Education Act, ensuring all Yukon schools have safe spaces for LGBTQ2S+ students in the form of activities or organizations.