A Canadian woman has spoken of her distress at being required to share a bedroom in an abuse shelter with a man who identifies as a woman.
Kristi Hanna says she is ‘supportive of LGBTQ rights’, but being placed in the room with a male because he claims to be female is unacceptable.
Kristi is taking legal action, but was herself accused of potentially breaking the law for describing the transsexual as a man.
Distressing
Canada’s National Post reported that Kristi entered Palmerston House, in Toronto, after suffering sexual abuse.
This is not about discrimination, this is about the safety of male-enforced trauma victims.
On 20 July the man was assigned to stay in Kristi’s double room – sleeping in a bed just five feet away.
Outlining the transsexual’s sexualised remarks, as well as his obvious male appearance, Kristi said she and other residents became very distressed at his presence.
Unsafe
“All of us were completely upset and flabbergasted, pretty much, and instantly all full of fear.
“They won’t even allow a man on the property without permission by the staff and all the residents.”
Kristi added: “Everyone in the house has had at some point male-enforced trauma. This is not about discrimination, this is about the safety of male-enforced trauma victims.”
After two nights of sharing with the man, she left the shelter.
‘No discrimination’
When Kristi contacted the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, she was warned her use of the male pronoun was “potentially discriminatory” and could be illegal.
She has now lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
Lucy Hume, who runs the shelter, said: “With respect to accommodating trans women, we do not discriminate; nor do we impose modifications with respect to accommodation”.
She added: “We do, however, do our best to meet the needs of all parties affected in a way that complies with the requirements of shelter standards and trauma-informed practice.”
Self-declare
In the UK, senior politicians are supportive of a ‘self-declaration’ scheme to replace the current medical system for people who say they were ‘born in the wrong body’.
A recent debate saw a Government minister give a commitment to keep single-sex and separate sex services protected for women, as long as “doing so can be convincingly demonstrated to be a proportionate means of meeting a legitimate aim”.