Transgender woman's behaviour in changeroom unacceptable: Gallinger

http://www.thestar.com/life/2014/01/04/transgender_mans_behaviour_in_changeroom_unacceptable_gallinger.html
1/4/14
By: Ken Gallinger

"I am a senior woman. Recently, a "man" claiming to be transgender, who had not yet begun physical treatments, was permitted by our local Y to use the women's locker room. There are no secure change rooms. The person they allowed in was not courteous and stared at me while I struggled out of a wet bathing suit. He was naked, had an erection and playfully asked 'do you come here often?' I understand that gender is no longer judged solely by genitalia, but does a brief contact with the duty manager mean that men not yet committed to gender reassignment are free to disrobe anywhere they choose?

I need to say three things.

1. Transgender women, regardless of their status regarding surgical intervention, have the absolute right to use the women's change room. This can be a difficult matter, primarily for the trans woman involved. But you're right; we have come to understand that gender is much more complex than whether we wear our equipment externally or internally."

"The Star" is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada publication.

I don't know it, or it's reputation, but the story does not ring true to me.

Quote from: Jamie D on January 06, 2014, 06:24:40 PM
"The Star" is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada publication.

I don't know it, or it's reputation, but the story does not ring true to me.

I agree with JamieD... the "an old day saw this and that" sounds like BS

I'm calling BS on that.  Even if that actually happened, there's no way in hell that person was transgender.  Who wants to be the a*hole who ruins it for everyone?  I go in, do my business and get out.  The last thing I want to do is stick out like a sore thumb.

What I fear is that the RWNJs who are fighting to have our protections overturned are going to plant shills to do these very things to "prove" their paranoias right and grandstand these fake incidents.

I... I think you should just call the cops if that happens..

There is one thing I do not like about this story and I'm sure many have caught it already.she stated:

'He had an erection'

Now reassignment aside,there are two things bout it.
1) it was either a lie fabricated to put a bad image (again) on the trans' community
2) he was not on E as this makes (depending how long) it nearly impossible to get an erection.size even shrinks and the ability to have kids is ruined.

This could be one or the other but its one of the two.and as many know,most sexual predators do not need to go to such lengths in order to get satisfaction and why would anyone even care enough to ruin said community's image when it already barely has rights.I'm calling bs and any MtF will tell you,if you are on E for an extended amount of time-it does effect the bits (not the abilityto O) but just over all previos function.

I read this story. Lived in toronto a long time. The star used to be a credible publication but has deteriorated over the years. This story sounds unlikely, at best greatly exaggerated, at worst, simply fabricated. What trans person wants people to see there privates? In a change or wash room? Its just not something we do. In fact, its something we go to great lengths not to do. Most likely the woman caught a brief glimpse of something and hysterically or cruelly escalated it into a drama that never existed.

This story is B.S. Erection? Not likely on HRT. Standing around naked in a locker room having a conversation with a stranger while sporting a woody? Maybe if the person is a pervert that doesn't mind running the risk of being arrested, but certainly not a trans woman.

It's a shame that people make up stories like this to attack us.

Pretty much have to agree. I am not yet corrected and would never consider using a womans change room period which I think puts me in the majority. If I had to and had no choice, I would feel so self conscious that I would be 100% certain that part of me was covered. We just dont do things like this. So far as erections go, well over three years on HRT I still can but its rare and definetly would not happen in this situation. Again, I think that makes me pretty normal.

I would concur that if this incident did transpire that the individual was not TS. Therefore I do feel it's okay that there be proof of treatment involved in access to spaces not normally designated for a persons sex. My opinion isn't universal, but I went through the procedures and got the letters from my doctors and so on. Wow, and I haven't had any issues anyhow. The only glitch in this position is that some people can't afford healthcare, that's a separate issue to be addressed. Poor isn't a privilege either.

Elsewhere on the internet this story was said to be a Hoax. I'll see if I can find it again.

Found it.

Toronto newspaper pushes trans hoax, claims no duty to fact check

    by Cristan
    January 6, 2014



http://www.transadvocate.com/toronto-newspaper-pushes-trans-hoax-claims-no-duty.htm

Here is a link saying that this story may be a hoax...


http://transnerdfeminist.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/toronto-story-about-transgender-locker-room-harasser-is-a-hoax-or-how-a-toronto-star-journalist-fails-at-integrity-and-journalism/

I have to say in all honesty trying to be neutral, I'm still not convened that the story is either true or untrue. It could very well be one person who might be deeply religious or something along those lines who was outraged that a trans person was in the changing room and didn't complain except to the newspapers and maybe she embellished the story to make it more salacious. On the other hand the entire story could very well be a work of fiction. Either extreme is plausible. Without knowing what is really true or not, the newspaper in question sure deserves a solid punch in their credibility. They could have just as easily said Santa Claus was in the locker room as well.

Quote from: Zumbagirl on January 07, 2014, 09:09:44 AM
Here is a link saying that this story may be a hoax...


http://transnerdfeminist.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/toronto-story-about-transgender-locker-room-harasser-is-a-hoax-or-how-a-toronto-star-journalist-fails-at-integrity-and-journalism/

I have to say in all honesty trying to be neutral, I'm still not convened that the story is either true or untrue. It could very well be one person who might be deeply religious or something along those lines who was outraged that a trans person was in the changing room and didn't complain except to the newspapers and maybe she embellished the story to make it more salacious. On the other hand the entire story could very well be a work of fiction. Either extreme is plausible. Without knowing what is really true or not, the newspaper in question sure deserves a solid punch in their credibility. They could have just as easily said Santa Claus was in the locker room as well.

Any manager would have called the police, any woman would have called the police, any relative of any female person who had been victimized this way would have called the police...

Now, if anybody would have called the police and report this "exhibitionism," the culprit if indeed was a transgender would have been identified quickly as there is not a lot of transgender people going to any YMCA, and the few that do go, well are known to the staff and managers, right?

so, do you still believe this BS story is true?... if yes, then I think you are a prime candidate to buy a piece of the Brooklyn bridge my friend!

Quote from: peky on January 07, 2014, 09:38:22 AM
Any manager would have called the police, any woman would have called the police, any relative of any female person who had been victimized this way would have called the police...

Now, if anybody would have called the police and report this "exhibitionism," the culprit if indeed was a transgender would have been identified quickly as there is not a lot of transgender people going to any YMCA, and the few that do go, well are known to the staff and managers, right?

so, do you still believe this BS story is true?... if yes, then I think you are a prime candidate to buy a piece of the Brooklyn bridge my friend!

Okay well that's the last time I participate on a thread like this. Farewell.

So, here's the real problem.

There are people who really get a kick out of shocking, horrifying, or smearing the reputations of others.  And by "get a kick" I mean they're actually addicted to how it makes them feel.  It's a feature of pathological narcissism, which isn't as rare as you might hope.

With the amount of media attention bathroom rights have been getting, it's only a matter of time before someone makes these stories up, or even decides to act them out.  Because they're trolls, and trolling isn't limited to the Internet.


Assuming the story is true, I found Ken's response to be spot on. 

My Letter To The Editor Of The Toronto Star

Transadvocate.com | Autumn Sandeen

Dear Letters to the Editor,

I'm concerned about the question in the most recent that Ethically Speaking columnist Ken Gallinger posted in his most recent [Toronto Star] column entitled Transgender woman's behaviour in changeroom unacceptable. The question maligns both transgender women and the management of YMCAs and YWCAs, and it wasn't fact-checked for accuracy....

The story put forward in the question conforms exactly to the "bathroom bill" meme — that trans women are predators of cisgender females in girls and women's public restrooms and locker rooms. It's a meme that's been used by MP's Rob Anders and Dean Allison to argue against passage of C-279 into law, as well as by Canada Family Action, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, the Campaign Life Coalition, and the REAL Women of Canada....

This is not responsible journalism. There was a viable alternative, and that alternative was calling the four Y's in the greater Toronto area, as well as the Toronto Police Service, to see if the story presented by the alleged "elderly woman" reader was true — just as Cristan Williams and I did.

Full article at the link above

Bravo Autumn and Cristan

I did send a letter to Mr. Gallinger expressing my concerns, and seeking further clarification.
Mr. Gallinger responded the next day telling me: "thank you... a further article on the issue has been submitted to the Toronto Star, and it is on their hands..."

Will have to monitor the Toronto Star to see if Mr. Gallinger's "response" is published, and more important to see what the content of Mr. Gallinger further issues is all about

Semper Fi

I am not surprised. There have been a number of stories about transgender people lately than have been fabricated and exposed to be fake. I wonder why there seems to be a sudden increase in this...perhaps as trans rights come more to the forefront, people are giving more backlash.

Three of the groups involved in some of the recent major Trans* bashing have been traced back to the proponents of the U.S. Defense Of Marriage Act and the California Prop 8 repeal of gay marriage.  They lost big money and heavy reputation from their supporters and money base when the U.S Supreme Court affirmed the overturn of DOMA and affirmed the Federal District Court decision about Prop 8.  The groups like the money if not the reputation issue.  They are also behind the drive to overturn California's schools excellence law, and at the minute are not where they want to be there, even if their press is to the contrary. They prey on folks that are going to do little if any thinking and checking of the facts, and are going to weasel word the stuff so that it sounds authentic, when in fact it is fantasy.  Their beliefs justify innuendo and fantasy as a means to an end, the end being their beliefs and the money it brings them. 

Looks like they posted a correction, changing the title of the article to "Trangender Woman" instead of transgender man.  Never mind the heap of evidence that transadvocate dumped on them, literally proving that the story could not have occured(changing rooms at the specified facility are private and locking, Y staff and police have heard nothing about this supposed incident, etc).