Let Transgender People On Canadian Airplanes!
Trans* people are banned from flying on airplanes in Canada due to a new section in the Identity Screening Regulations that are used in airports. The section says that an airplane should not except someone as a passenger if they don’t look like the gender on their identification information.
Unfortunately, in order to change the sex marker in Canada, a person has to have proof of surgery or that surgery will be happening in at least one year. So for the trans* people that aren’t going to have surgery, haven’t been able to have surgery, or those that are gender nonconforming (or genderqueer), this makes it impossible for them to travel.
Please tell the Canadian Ministry of Transportation to change this policy immediately and let trans* people fly on airplanes! This is discrimination and it is wrong!
Petition is here — http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Canada-Let-Transgender-People-Fly/
If you don’t sign this petition, I will personally canoe over to your house (since I won’t be able to fly) and terrorize the shit outta you with my gender.
i’ve seen a lot of misinformation and contradictory stuff going around about this issue on facebook tumblr and twitter. i think it speaks both to the advantages and disadvantages of social media and activism/social justice. but that’s a whole other kettle of fish… i’m mostly reblogging to share what other resources i’ve found re: this discriminatory law and how we should stop it.
1. first things first? it is not “new” per se, it has been on the books since July 2011. people are just calling attention to how discriminatory it is now. make sure you’ve got your facts right.
2. a lot of the criticisms aren’t addressing how hotly racialized this issue is… the debate, specifically in quebec, around women wearing the niqab in courts, classrooms, and airports is often presented as a “security” concern, arguing that male terrorists would try to disguise themselves as women by wearing a niqab or burqa. yes, this is fucked up. but it’s part of what led to the rule that states “An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if … (c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents.” we can’t ignore that, while obviously transphobic, this is also part of canada’s increasingly racist public policies (i.e. talking about refugees as being part of “human smuggling” rings, caring about refusing entry to potentially terrorist ”boat people” while ignoring the rampant abuses of the largely underpaid and non-union immigrant labour force, etc.)
BUT! these people lay out these issues better than i do…
RECOMMENDED READING:
here are also many other petitions out there, with more signatures already:
but you know what i think about petitions. yes, they have a purpose, but at the end of the day: call up your MP. call Minister of Transport Denis Lebel and tell him why you think this law is horrible. call up the people who have brought up these issues in the House, like MP Justin Trudeau, and tell him to put the heat on more. if you’re a canadian who votes, demand more from your “democracy.” get this off the internet, and get this law changed.
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Here, with infos.
3 months ago • 232 notes
