Editor, The News:
The latest article about change room safety has left me so disgusted. I know it will be tempting to skip over this, because people in a small town tend to not care about transgender people, but I beg you to listen.
Accusing transgender women of being perverted men is transphobic and perpetuates violence against trans people.
A predator can walk into any bathroom or change room at any time and traumatize people, nothing is stopping them.
By targeting transgender people, and naming them as predators (which is a fear, not based on facts whatsoever), you are only harming a group of marginalized people, who are protected by law to be free from discrimination.
Besides that, transgender people often do not even want to go into gendered change rooms, for fear of being assaulted or arrested. Bathrooms are a place of violence and fear for us, and your article has only served to further this.
Commanding us to use gender neutral change rooms is unnecessary – society has traumatized and scared us enough as it is into hiding from the general public.
Nevermind the fact that transgender children exist. Yes, in this town.
They are hearing this dialogue, and they are put through fear and torment simply because of who they are.
When you vouch for children, you must also vouch for transgender children who are already at severe risk for bullying, murder, and suicide.
Historically, the public pool has been a site of violence, fear, and discrimination.
Now an article around pool change room safety has accused transgender people of perversion and criminal intent, called transgender women ‘men,’ and demanded we be segregated from the general population.
I understand that this town is small and may not care at all whatsoever about LGBT people, but I am begging of you now to be on the right side of history, and rectify the harmful words espoused in your paper.
Dacey E. Pearson
Maple Ridge