From Rabble.Ca: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/mercedes-allen/2014/03/on-detention-trans-people
By Mercedes Allen
March 7, 2014
“… in a way that is not inconsistent with one’s gender identity.”
Remember that phrase. It’s going to simplify something that might otherwise seem like a complicated issue.
So this British comedian walks into Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Some of you have heard this one before…
The treatment of trans people (particularly trans women) in detention facilities, in the correctional system and in border security has come under re-examination recently, following the story of 25-year old Avery Edison. The British comedian had overstayed her student visa during a previous visit to Canada, and so upon her return, she was detained by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). That would all be unremarkable, if not for the fact that she is trans… which means that CBSA did not feel they had a space to accommodate her, and instead sent her to spend the night in a mens’ prison.
This led to a backlash against CBSA (and to a degree also Correctional Services Canada, which has a similar policy to CBSA and which provided the prison facility). By evening, it was being reported that Avery was being moved to the Vanier Centre for Women. She has since returned to the U.K. (and has talked about the experience on a few occasions).
But although Edison’s situation has been resolved, her experience leaves unanswered questions about how trans people are handled in correctional and detention systems. And since her situation, two other incidents have brought the issue back to media attention.
A Human Rights Law Point of Note
Human rights law with regard to trans people is still in a state of flux. In the discussion about Avery’s situation, people pointed to Toby’s Act, a trans human rights law that had been passed in the Province of Ontario, and claimed that the detention was a violation of that law. But even though Edison’s detention happened in Toronto, Toby’s Act does not apply. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) — like Correctional Services Canada (CSC) and the RCMP — is a federal agency, and therefore subject to federal legislation.
On the other hand, Randall Garrison’s federal trans human rights bill, C-279 — which passed in Parliament and is awaiting approval by the Senate — would apply… but it hasn’t received Royal Assent as of yet. A similar but more comprehensive bill (Bill Siksay’s C-389) passed in the previous Parliament, but died before receiving Senate approval, when an election was called. C-279 would apply to federal institutions, while most peoples’ employment, housing and access-to-service situations remain provincial in jurisdiction. And to be fair, even if Bill C-279 had been given Royal Assent, it would still likely take CBSA, CSC and other federal agencies some time to bring their policies in line to be consistent with it.
Continue reading at: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/mercedes-allen/2014/03/on-detention-trans-people
