montrealgazette.com


Yes, I Face Discrimination, Too

Posted by: Jillian Page | October 16, 2012. 1:32 am • Section: Turning the Page

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2012/10/16/yes-i-face-discrimination-too/

I may be a transitioned women complete with a "Female" birth certificate et al, but I do share one thing with all trans people: I still experience discrimination. Not a lot of it, but even just a bit hurts. And I can expect to experience discrimination for the rest of my life because of my gender transition. One of my therapists warned me about it. I can't make people accept me if they don't want to. Some are too macho to accept that a person born male identifies as a woman, and had surgery and took estrogen in order to reconcile body with heart and mind and soul. And some women just don't want any more competition from  a sexy chick like moi . . . Smiles . . . Tough luck for them, eh?

Much of the discrimination I encounter is the silent treatment. For example, a co-worker just arriving at his/her desk might say "good morning" to the person sitting next to me, but ignores me all together, as if I wasn't there at all. Or they might look away when they pass me in a hal
lway. In truth, there are not many who treat me this way, but there are a few, and it does hurt. You notice little things like that.