This And That In The News – Trans Issues

"This And That In The News" is about articles in the news that have caught my eye and I want to share or comment about. These are the articles that caught my attention last week.

There is a battle going on to the north of us over human rights, there are a couple of bills that are being debated in Canada about gender identity and expression. The Canadian Parliament has bill C-279 before it and is now being debated…

Conservatives accused of sabotaging transgender rights bill
 The Province
 THE CANADIAN PRESS
By Jennifer Ditchburn
December 11, 2012

OTTAWA — The New Democrat MP behind a bill to protect transgender Canadians from discrimination is accusing a group of Conservatives of trying to sabotage the legislation through procedural stalling tactics.

Randall Garrison’s private member’s bill was sent back to the Commons from the Justice committee this week unamended and without an official report, despite efforts by the NDP, the Liberals and Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay to strike a compromise.

Garrison accused the other Conservatives on the committee of running out the clock in order to ensure the compromise did not get reported back to the Commons.
[…]
The legislation would change the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression.

Garrison brought forward changes to the bill so that more Conservatives would support it, removing the term “gender expression” and providing a definition for gender identity. Those amendments passed with the help of Findlay.

Then out in Nova Scotia they are trying to pass their own gender identity legislation…

N.S. bill would give transgender people legal footing
CBC News
Posted: Nov 20, 2012

Nova Scotia has tabled amendments to its Human Rights Act to clarify the rights of transgender people.

Justice Minister Ross Landry said the proposed amendment would protect gender expression and identity.

The changes would allow transgender people to file human rights complaints in cases where they believe they have been discriminated against on the job or in the community.
[…]
If the legislation passes, Nova Scotia would join Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories in specifically recognizing transgender people in its human rights legislation.

Unfortunately, the bill wasn’t voted on in this session. It seems like the conservative north of the boarder are just like our conservatives, they both like the right to discriminate against us.

Also in Nova Scotia…

LOWE: Transgender students long for more change at school
The Chronicle Herald
December 14, 2012
By LEZLIE LOWE

Simple things.

That’s what would make it easier for Josh to feel comfortable at school — gender-neutral bathrooms and teachers using his preferred name.

“It’s kind of hard sometimes,” the soft-spoken Grade 12 student says, over the din of the Spring Garden Starbucks.

Josh is a transgender student. It’s not common knowledge. He identifies as male, so I’m using his first name. He’ll get a legal name change once he graduates.
[…]
Simple things.

That’s what would make it easier for Josh to feel comfortable at school — gender-neutral bathrooms and teachers using his preferred name.

“It’s kind of hard sometimes,” the soft-spoken Grade 12 student says, over the din of the Spring Garden Starbucks.

Josh is a transgender student. It’s not common knowledge. He identifies as male, so I’m using his first name. He’ll get a legal name change once he graduates.
[…]
“Where we are with transgender individuals is kind of where we were 10 or 15 years ago with gay, lesbian and bisexual students,” he says. “There’s still, probably among some, discomfort. We obviously need to work hard to overcome that.”

But all is not grim; we did have a couple of victories. Over in Scotland the National Health Service did come out with a policy on Gender Reassignment Protocol,

Summary
This letter is to provide Boards with the Gender Reassignment Protocol for Scotland. The protocol incorporates recommendations from the 7th edition of The World Professional Association for
Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, September 2011. The protocol sets out those procedures which may be provided on the NHS; procedures exclusive to gender reassignment should be accessed via this protocol.

Back in the states the University of Iowa has added questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to its undergraduate application.

University Of Iowa Adds Sexual Orientation Question, Transgender Identity Option To Application
The Huffington Post
Posted: 12/12/2012

In an apparent effort to send a welcoming signal to all incoming students, the University of Iowa has announced the addition of questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to its undergraduate application.

As Inside Higher Ed reports, a dropdown menu on the University of Iowa's online application now includes transgender as an option alongside with male and female, while a second, nonobligatory question now asks, "Do you identify with the LGBTQ community?”

The university's move follows Illinois's Elmhurst College, which added similar questions to the undergraduate application forms for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Among the organizations to praise the decision was Campus Pride, a national advocacy group working to foster more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive college and university settings. Campus Pride officials had been working with university administrators on the application changes for several years, according to a press release.

What do you think, a good or a bad move? Would you check the box or list yourself as trans?

I know I wouldn’t have checked off the trans box, I would have checked Female and then contacted them to tell them that I was trans. I would not want on my official record that I’m trans.