Editor. The News:
Re: Female body parts in women’s change room only (Letters, March 31).
I am appalled by the recent letters to the editor about the pool controversy.
The Maple Ridge pool facilities need to be safe for everyone, and that includes trans people. Trans people are not sexual predators. In fact, they are far more likely than the rest of the population to be victims of violence, suicide, and discrimination.
Trans people pose no risk to children.
Catching a glimpse of someone changing is not harmful – nudity is a fact of life. Trans people have a right to use the pool facilities just as everyone else does.
The idea that heterosexual men will be pretend to be trans to get a peek at women changing is a fiction – a myth used to try and justify discriminatory policies.
Sexual predators exist in our community, but they don’t need to sneak into a busy, public change room to commit their crimes.
My heart goes out to the trans woman involved in this discussion – a simple visit to the pool has turned into a public discussion of her genitalia.
I hope that she feels safe enough to return to the pool one day.
The Leisure Centre should not be in the business of policing their client’s gender and asking about their genitalia.
I hope staff consider the safety of all their clients, regardless of gender identity, and follow their obligations under the B.C. Human Rights Code.
Allison Rounding
Maple Ridge
Transgender change rooms do not foster equality
Editor. The News:
Re: Female body parts in women’s change room only (Letters, March 31).
R. Brown’s chief argument against allowing an individual to use whichever change room they identify with is that it opensup the door to abuse and breaches the security of everyone deemed acceptable to be in that given change room.
This reasoning has continually been thrown out there to thwart transgendered equality, without any substantial evidence toback up that there has ever been an increase in sexual assaults when people are granted the privilege to express theiridentity freely.
Considering the proposed policy of using the change room that reflects your body parts opens up further issues. Forinstance, would R. Brown be comfortable walking into the women’s change room and seeing a clothed transgenderedindividual who is transitioning from female to male, and henceforth has all of the physical characteristics of a man (ie: facialhair, larger build, deeper voice), yet has female genitalia?
Unless you were to see this individual fully unclothed, there would be no doubt in your mind that this is a male utilizing thefemale change room. Yet they would be required to utilize the women’s change room due to their genitalia.
Consequently, this proposed regulation solves nothing.
Additionally, the possibility for violence against transgendered individuals themselves is far more likely (and proven) thanany situation arising of a man masquerading as a women to access their change room.
If an individual with ill intentions is tempted to violate an individual in a women’s change room, they will find a way despiteany rules or regulations put forth by a public pool.
Transgendered individuals opt to use their chosen change rooms for a reason. These individuals do not identify with thegenitalia they were born with, and consequently would not choose to draw unnecessary attention to said genitalia.
Much like you, they would like to dry off and change in peace.
Isolating transgendered individuals to a transgender specific change room does not foster equality in any means. It wouldbe an act of segregation and unwarranted disclosure against a vast group of individuals who want nothing more than to livetheir life freely.
With society slowly becoming more open minded and equality strengthening, I believe situations like this can become alearning opportunity for people.
The bottom line is that nudity makes people uncomfortable to some degree, but at the end of the day, we are all human. Aslong as an individual is not facing clear and eminent danger, it is unfair to cast transgendered individuals intouncomfortable and dangerous situations to appease those opposed to transgendered rights.
Amy Pridday
Maple Ridge