Friday, January 25, 2013
Transsexual and transgender women denied access to shelters as temperatures drop in Montréal

http://sketchythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/01/transsexual-and-transgender-women.html

The following press release from ASTT(e)Q (Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec):

Transsexual and transgender women denied access to shelters as temperatures drop in Montréal
ASTT(e)Q urges Québec shelters to change discriminatory practices

25 January, 2013 - As temperatures drop to extreme lows, transsexual and transgender women in Montréal continue to be turned away from many homeless women's shelters. Over the past week of bitter cold, ASTT(e)Q, a local trans health project of CACTUS Montréal, has witnessed several of our members be denied shelter on the grounds of being trans. While such refusals are frequently justified by administrative regulations, members of ASTT(e)Q believe that these exclusive practices are rooted in discriminatory attitudes towards trans people.

A majority of women's shelters throughout Québec require trans people to have undergone sex reassignment surgery, and/or to have changed their legal sex. "Such requirements are unattainable for most homeless trans people, due to prohibitive costs, and extensive administrative requirements," says Mirha-Soleil Ross, staff of ASTT(e)Q. "Trans women are left with no alternatives, as men's shelters are clearly not an option. With no place to turn, homeless trans women find themselves on the streets, which in -30 below temperatures is nothing short of deadly."

Unheard of 

I found this thread and thought I would share with ya'll the United States version. I've personally been through this. At three different shelters. One I wasn't even allowed to stay at because I hadn't had anything changed yet. Even after I did, they still refused to allow me access. I got kicked out of another one because my kids were still transitioning from calling me Dad to Aunt, not to mention the entire town pretty much knew I was trans as well. They recommended I stay at the mens' shelter which would have been extremely dangerous the way I look. They didn't care whether I really had a place to stay or not, I couldn't stay there. I moved over to the other side of the state to be with my girlfriend. And they said if I had been honest about it, they would have demanded that I stay at the mens' shelter as well and commit a living suicide. I've always known since I was little that I was wrong on the outside and there is no way in hell I will ever stay in a mens' shelter. All my friends, including an ex girlfriend agree with me. They know girls like us will not be safe there. There are times it is the opposite way around because transguys can have problems both places, as they're allowed to be both places. Or they can have no problems at all. Kind of hypocritical isn't it? This is just another one of the reasons why us transgirls especially don't make it past 30.

It is completely inhumane to treat anyone in this manner. The last one was a "Christian" shelter. I don't feel it's very Christian-like behavior to throw someone out on their posterior because your beliefs are different than someone else's. For this reason and others, is why I proudly profess to be Wiccan. We embrace everyone's religion. All love is sacred. You get the picture. As the Warrior Princess, I cannot tolerate the way I or my transsisters are treated when it comes to a place to stay when times get rough. This needs to change. And it begins with us taking a stand together.