Workplace discrimination ON THE JOB / Many queer Canadians battle bigotry at wor

[Shana A]

Workplace discrimination
ON THE JOB / Many queer Canadians battle bigotry at work
Aaron Leaf / National / Tuesday, January 03, 2012

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Workplace_discrimination-11277.aspx

In 1999, when Kyle Scanlon announced to bosses at his Toronto media job that he was transitioning into a man they were "surprised and confused." At the time there was very little information available about the process, and his co-workers didn't know how to handle it. But what he faced next was far more than simple ignorance.

Discrimination in the workplace can sometimes be "hard to put a finger on exactly," says Scanlon. "Suddenly my work was scrutinized. Co-workers were making life so difficult." Despite needing to be in a certain desk to do his job, Scanlon was repeatedly forced to move work stations. People stopped talking to him. The final straw was when a co-worker told him point blank to "watch his back."

"It's an issue of climate," says Scanlon. "Playing games."

[Sad Girl]

Me I was humiliated, laughed at and MOCKED to death by 200 people in my company. As I entered work that very day, you could hear ALL KEYBOARDS stop typing, they all stopped and looked at me in utter shock. A few days later, I got a letter and was called at the office that they are terminating my contract due to lateness. (The only excuse they could find to fire me without being labelled as 'discriminatory') when there were others worse than me in lateness. It was the worst day of my life ever. Immediately after losing my job, I was out of money and fell into street prostitution for a few months till I could get another job which accepted me as I am. What a cruel life for us.