by Key Paul Straughan LATE GREAT MOVIES DOUBLE FEATURE (Opening in the style of Science Fiction /Double Feature) In the subterranean cellars all across cis suberbia, ( b-movie sci-fi, horror and camp, oh my) There were weirdos peering for a glimpse of queering across screens of the TV ah ( b-movie sci-fi, horror and camp, […]
Tag: Transgender
How do you solve a problem like misgendering?
To illustrate the daily erasure trans folx face in a world privileging cisgender norms, I offer my experience at the supposedly trans-positive Compass Community Clinic. Trans people are notoriously underserviced in healthcare care, with known disparities in trans and gender minorities’ ability to access healthcare (Scheim et al., 2017). Perceived discrimination in healthcare settings contributes […]
Are you a trans?
Erasure of gender minority people is a defining characteristic cisgender systems operate, as they assume anyone outside the binary is impossible (Namaste, 2000). Since gender minorities are erased, when one turns up in real life, say at a doctor’s office, a social emergency occurs, usually resulting in a cascade of microaggressions to letting you know […]
ETFO: Transphobia is in the eye of the beholder
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) needs Jesus; more specifically, they need to heed the savior’s story concerning kicking up dust about the speck in the other person’s eye, all the while having a plank in your own (Matthew 7:3-5). I had a come to Jesus moment when ETFO was supposedly addressing workplace transphobia, […]
Bad Pride Vibes with Shopper’s Drug Mart
I am regularly misgendered at Shopper’s Drug Mart, but I recently posted a particularity bad experience… I often resort to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (HRTO) as a way of being an activist and advancing gender minority rights. I recently spoke about this on The Experimantal Leader Podcast. Unfortunately, I had to take Shopper’s to […]
Shopper’s Drug Mart is not my non-binary bag!
You’d think that Shopper’s Drug Mart, that self defines as “Canada’s leading pharmacy retailer,” would have inclusive customer service practices towards the Two Spirit and LGBTQIA clients. Shopper’s Drug Mart has made efforts to support the 2SLGBTQIA community, like sponsoring Toronto Pflag in 2022 and was a grand prize partner for Canada’s Drag Race. So […]
Counselling Two-Spirit Clients in Canada
Introduction Two-Spirit persons form a small minority in the larger whole of the Canadian Indigenous minority group, often overlooked by counsellors or assimilated into the LGBTQ2SIA acronym. By ignoring and thereby rendering Two Spirit realities invisible, counsellors inadvertently participate in the ongoing colonization of Indigenous people in Canada. An essential part of the colonial project […]
Two transgender teachers too many to many?
To Whom it May Concern, I’m writing this open letter to thank you for allowing me ten minutes to delegate about my lived experience as trans person, my whistleblowing activities and the subsequent retaliatory investigation and actions by my employer for having done so. Trans and gender-diverse voices are not often heard or are usually […]
Workplace Whistleblower Protection
Today I peaked in terms of lifetime personal bravery and courage. I walked into the same building and sat in the same room where I was interrogated for over six hours on May 29, 2019, an experience that traumatized me so profoundly that I got PTSD. It went a little something like this… Thank you […]
Gender Performances
It’s exciting as a trans performer to see L Morgan Lee nominated for a Tony award (note: this post was written in June 10, 2022). I hope she wins just for being a trans performer, because cisgender people often win roles and awards just for their cisgender privilege. I know the difficulties of getting cast […]