This list contains current actions in the push for trans equality in Canada. I do not claim this to be a comprehensive list of current action and welcome submissions of other activity that is going on in Canada.
If you know of current actions please add to the comments or contact me directly via Facebook or Google+
For those who are new to my blog, or know me, but have just come across my blog I recommend reading About Talia C Johnson
In our day to day lives we are called ma’am or sir quite regularly. For many people there is no concerns about this or any angst. Sometimes a clerk, cashier or other person we are interacting will use the wrong term. They will call a woman “sir” or a man “ma’am”. This happens to those who are cis* as well as those who are trans*. There are women who look more masculine and are mistaken for men on occasion and visa versa. For those of us who are transsexual or transgender this sort of a mistake has an impact that may seem disproportionate to many.
For myself and for many who go through the process of transition being addressed in a male form of address instead of a female form of address can be rather disconcerting, triggering and can cause a certain level of distress. In my own case I spent 36 years living in a body and attempting to live in a role that society said was ‘male’. A body and a role that were not who I truly am. The process of transition can be, and most often is, very difficult mentally, emotionally and physically. In my own case it was less traumatic than some, and more traumatic than others. One aspect that I am crystal clear about is that there is no way I would ever go back to trying to be a man. I am a woman. So why does this make the form of address important?
Being called “sir” or being referred to as “he” or “him” is a reminder of what I once was. It is a reminder of trying to live as someone I really wasn’t. It is a reminder of the pain and trials of the transition process. It is a reminder of twenty-seven years of depression. Early on, particularly after I shed my old identity and began living my whole life as who I truly am I would get rather irked and upset about being called “sir”. Almost two and a half years later I am at a point where I don’t want to immediately bite the person’s head off and feed it to the nearest raccoon. Unless of course it is deliberate and the person is trying to be insulting and disrespectful.
My advice to those who interact daily with people they don’t know, which most of us do to a greater or lesser degree, avoid using gender specific modes of address, especially if you are unsure how the person wants to be addressed or are unsure if the person is male or female. This will save them pain if they are in a sensitive place in their journey. It may also save you a tongue lashing at the hands of someone for whom it was the comment that pushed them over the edge into an angry response.
* I am using cis as a short form for cissexual – those who aren’t trans* and trans* to refer to those who fall at all points on the transgender, transsexual and gender queer spectrum.
Recently Xtra published an article / opinion piece by Rob Salerno called “Another take on the ‘trans rights’ bill RIGHTS / Does insisting on enumeration actually reduce trans peoples’ civil rights?”. Xtra also published an excellent response by Christin Malloy, “Toby’s Act is more than symbolic”. I recommend you read both articles. As I was thinking about the article by Rob Salerno something was bothering me that went beyond the main argument. The problem? Rob Salermo sounds a lot like Conservative MPP Randy Hillier when he wrote about Ontario’s Bill C-13, the anti-bulying legislation currently before the province that was introduced by the Liberals.
Salerno states, in a paragraph of its own:
But it’s unclear if the bill will actually help trans people. On the contrary, it seems the ongoing debate is doing more harm than good.
This sounds a lot like Hillier:
However, this policy will have dire consequences for those it is intended to benefit.
and
The last thing a vulnerable child needs is more differentiation from others in the schoolyard. The result will be nothing less than painting a bull’s eye or target on their backs.
From my perspective Rob Salermo is coming across less like an ally, but more like those who are anti-trans. How would Salermo respond if the argument was that sexual orientation should not be added in to the Ontario Human Rights act because the Ontario Human Rights Commission already considers homosexual people to be protected under the existing human rights legislation. This is, of course, a hypothetical example. The Ontario Human Rights Code does include sexual orientation as an explicit group to be protected.
All we are asking is to be treated equally under the law, not treated equally if we file a complaint and the person hearing the case decides to go along with established case law.
Update: This information has also been moved to a post that will always be on the main page of this blog.
I haven’t blogged much over the past month and a half or possibly a bit longer. Life got in the way, plus being ill on and off throughout with a couple of different bugs that were making the rounds.
With all the media attention over the past few weeks around Transport Canada’s regulations that state someone who doesn’t look like the gender in their ID is not permitted to fly I thought I’d take a look at where things stand with regards to transsexual and transgender rights in Canada.
Federally we have seen the spotlight shine on Transport Canada’s regulation. There have been a number of articles and blog posts about it. One result of this regulation being put in the spotlight is that it highlights the problems that someone who transitions has in terms of having identification that reflects who they are. The importance of having a sex marker on one’s identification that matches what one looks like is much more important.
The suicide of Jamie Hubley in October was a rude awakening for the people of Ontario. His suicide after suffering from depression and being bullied in school for being gay was a shock. This doesn’t happen in Ontario, especially in a city like Ottawa. In response the Liberal party, current governing party in Ontario, proposed Bill 13 and put it before the legislature. The Conservatives didn’t like this legislation and proposed their own, Bill 14. Conservative MPP Randy Hillier has been particularly vocal about it with an opinion piece in the Ottawa Citizen that was also posted on his web site. Mr. Hillier suggests that many who support Bill 13 (the one from the government) have not read the legislation. I have. I have also read Bill 14 put forward by Elizabeth Witmer of the Progressive Conservatives. In this post I am looking at the two pieces of legislation as well as Mr. Hillier’s post about it. Read the rest of this entry »
Choices are something we face every day. Choice of what to wear, what to eat, which tasks to prioritise etc. These are usually relatively easy, even when we can’t decide on whether to have chicken or fish for supper. Sometimes the choices are more difficult like deciding whether or not to find a new job. Sometimes there are choices that are quite literally a question of life or death. People who are diagnosed with cancer have choices to make about their treatment path, radiation, chemotherapy, surgeries or even no treatments at all. For those with kidney failure the choice is dialysis or to die from the build up of toxins in the blood. In both of these examples the results of the choices mean a significant change in how one’s life is lived or ended. Each is profoundly personal and impacts on family and friends.
What about those of us who transition? What sorts of choices do we face? Are they the simple choices of what to eat and wear? are they more profound? Are they a question of living or dying?
When I am talking to people who have little experience or knowledge of transgender or transsexual people quite often comment on the choice to transition. I turn this back around, is it really much of a choice? In my particular case I had been suffering from depression, often severe, for many years prior to my epiphany and realization of what was wrong. With this epiphany also came the very real knowledge that I was down to two choices.
Choice One: Continue as I was, be depressed, non-functional and knowing that I would likely come to a point where I would take my own life. I would become a statistic. Part of the more than forty percent of trans people who attempt to take their own life.
Choice Two: Start the process of transition and eventually be myself. Stop the denials, suppression and move forward with life. I knew that this choice would end my marriage of almost ten years. I knew that there was a good chance that I would lose family, friends and that it would impact my work life, most likely in a negative manner.
At 36 years old there wasn’t really a whole lot of choice, I was not going to keep going as I was and end up dead. In some ways this is the more difficult choice to make, especially early on. There were a few times in the first year of transition where I was very close to ending my life anyway. Given that I’m writing this now, three years after the start of my transition, I obviously chose to keep moving forward and life my life.
What’s in a name? We name places so that we have a common reference for a location. Villages, towns, cities, countries have names and have histories that are tied to names. We name objects, so that we can identify them. We name our children at birth and, for Christians, the child or adult is named again at baptism. It is expected that the name or names given at birth will represent the person throughout their life.
What happens when the given name does not fit?
Janus |ˈjānəs|
1 Roman Mythology an ancient Italian deity, guardian of doorways and gates and protector of the state in time of war. He is usually represented with two faces, so that he looks both forward and backward.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/janus
As 2011 is coming to a close I am looking back on the year that was, and the year that is to come. 2011 was an eventful year for me, the latest in a number of them. I came to realize that I need to make another significant change in my life and finish my degree, plan for post-graduate studies and move my life forward. I also fully came to realize that I had spent 27 years with depression of varying degrees. It started when I was nine years old and ended when I started HRT when I was 36. This has been a lot to work through and process.
“Be strong.”
How often are we told this as children? As teenagers? As Adults? For most of us the answer is quite a bit.
Most people who tell us to “be strong” seem to be coming from a place of support and compassion. What does it mean to “be strong”? In western society it usually means sucking up one’s emotions and continuing on. Don’t show how you feel, don’t let it out in public. Bottle it up. This is particularly true for boys and men. It is something that society told me repeatedly in many different ways as I grew up.
I have had a number of people tell me that I’m a strong person. Initially when I was told this, I wasn’t sure I believed it. Now, however I acknowledge the inner strength I never truly acknowledged before. Overall, I am a strong person, stronger now than I was three years ago before my transition began. Recognizing this strength I have also come to realize that transition has taken a lot more emotional strength and energy than I realized. I also realized that I was trying to “be strong” 100% of the time. This is not sustainable. Eventually something will have to give. I had to let myself have moments of “weakness”. To release the stresses, worries, anxiety and all the other myriad of emotions in a healthy way.
It’s okay not to be strong all the time. Really, it is.
In Canada and many other places in the world Christmas is a time when we are constantly told that we should be cheerful and celebrate Christmas with friends and family. Stores play cheesy Christmas music starting in November. For many Christmas is anything but cheerful.
For those who have lost loved ones to accidents, illness, age or violence Christmas is a time of sorrow. A time that would have been spent with lost loved ones.
For those who have been rejected by their families and friends because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual or for other reasons Christmas becomes painful and depressing. They can’t go home, they can’t spend the time with their loved ones. They are alone.
As someone who has been fortunate not to lose most of my family I think of those who have lost family, friends, jobs, homes and sometimes their life savings. They are in my thoughts and prayers.