Transwoman denied access to Montreal homeless shelter

[Guest apostate79]

From the website of ASTTEQ Montreal:

http://astteq.org/events.html

[Guest]

Ah yes, let's not help a human being, just let them freeze to death instead.

Gotta love the Great White North.

Joann

[Guest rikkicd64]

Ah yes, let's not help a human being, just let them freeze to death instead.

Gotta love the Great White North.

Joann

Amen, you got it right sister, refusing to help a human being .Most people think us TG people are less than human.

[Carolyn Marie]

You know, if true, that is an inexcusable situation, and something should be done immediately to correct it.

On the other hand, if I am not mistaken, isn't it possible for a TS person to get the "F" in Canada without having surgery? If so, is the requirement to have had the surgery, to have the "F" on ID cards, or both? If one has the "F," is the shelter going to do a panty check just to make sure?

It also bothers me that no specific shelters are named, and no victims identified. It all seems a bit too vague for me. It's very easy for groups to throw accusations around to get publicity for a cause. it's a lot harder to verify facts.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest rita63]

Turning away a person in this country in the winter should be a criminal offence. The people who do it should be in jail not on the streets. Welcome to Stephen Harpers Canada.

rita

[Guest apostate79]

You know, if true, that is an inexcusable situation, and something should be done immediately to correct it.

On the other hand, if I am not mistaken, isn't it possible for a TS person to get the "F" in Canada without having surgery? If so, is the requirement to have had the surgery, to have the "F" on ID cards, or both? If one has the "F," is the shelter going to do a panty check just to make sure?

It also bothers me that no specific shelters are named, and no victims identified. It all seems a bit too vague for me. It's very easy for groups to throw accusations around to get publicity for a cause. it's a lot harder to verify facts.

Carolyn Marie

Unfortunately no, in Canada you are not able to change your gender marker or even your legal name until after SRS (and even then there can be a lot of red-tape). BTW I actually do know the woman that this incident happened to, I am sure that her name was not given to protect her privacy. I tried finding a more detailed account, but this incident has been almost completely ignored by the local media. If I can find more details I will pass them on.

[Guest Robin Winter]

Yeah, last time I checked SRS was a requirement for gender marker changes, at least it is in my province.

[Guest amanda_s]

Hi Marie a friend has changed her marker i think it depends on the province, she has had the Orchiectomy.

Amanda

[Carolyn Marie]

Geez, that's terrible. I stand corrected, and thank you for the information. I had this impression that Canada was a more liberal leaning country than that. I would still like more specific info before passing judgment on the shelters, and thank you, Apostate, for trying to find out more.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest (Lightsider)]

Geez, that's terrible. I stand corrected, and thank you for the information. I had this impression that Canada was a more liberal leaning country than that. I would still like more specific info before passing judgment on the shelters, and thank you, Apostate, for trying to find out more.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

I was under the same impression. A canadian I once knew was all down about how progressive Canada was compaired to the US. So yeah. What is the truth? Any way...turning any one away to freeze is horrible.

[Guest chngnwnd]

This happens here as well. Even in DC with its wonderfully inclusive human rights law, occasionally trans women are turned away form shelters for being trans women or relegated to men's shelters...

Bobbi

[JJ]

Sadly the person who was responsible was probably ignorant of the realities of our situation and reacting to all the stereotypes. While we do need to rectify these situations we also need to keep pushing education and changes in laws to allow us some legal status once we are in treatment at the very least. I say treatment because some form of diagnosis is necessary from a practical standpoint. Whether from a GP or a GT but people will take advantage otherwise and it only takes a couple to set our case back to where we started-or worse. We need to be vocal and proactive. Yet I understand all too well and have seen here so often that once we finish our own process we tend to just want to live our lives and blend in to society. Understandable but it is something that has delayed the process of education and reform as well

Most people faced with someone with a male name and gender marker are not going to allow the person into a women's shelter. Which is reasonable really. Except in our case. The person in charge probably just didn't know what to do. They thought they were protecting the women seeking shelter. We know that was wrong but they probably didn't. Thought being a choice the TS woman could just man up and go to the men's shelter.

Sad and wrong all around

Johnny

[Guest]

Thank you for your wise words of wisdome, as always Johnny.

Well, to attempt to clarify things about the Great White North, in a nutshell.

And I sit-down to be corrected by my Brethren and Sistren.

Each Province(State) has jurisdiction, at the moment, regarding the Gender marker.

These are not governed by a "National standard".

So, because you hear that something is a certain way in one Province does not make it so in the next Province.

Huggs,

Joann