blue_lotus13: (write)
lex ([personal profile] blue_lotus13) wrote2005-12-08 11:08 am
Entry tags:

Fucking mad...

The more I think about it, the more I am angry about the Kimberly Nixon case. Kim Nixon is a trans-woman who was barred from acting as a volunteer counsellor at the Vancouver Rape Relief shelter, because she was born a man. The Vancouver Rape Relief shelter has decided that since she was born a man, she cannot work as a counsellor for women.
In my mind, this is FUCKING DISCRIMINATION, and it's made all the more worse because it's from a supposedly feminist, women friendly organixation.

She appealed to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, and the BC Supreme Court and her appeal was denied. She will now head to Supreme Court of Canada.

I want to write some angry letters. Does anyone know where I can write to?

I've also fired off an email to my editor at Herizons asking if I can write an article for them.

[identity profile] kelly-yoyo.livejournal.com 2005-12-08 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course it's discrimination. But Rape Relief has entrenched 1970s feminist politics, due to a few very entrenched autocratic collective members who have been puppetmastering the organization since the '70s.

I was on the collective in 1995 for about six months and oh, boy, could I tell you some stories. It'd curl your hair.

[identity profile] kelly-yoyo.livejournal.com 2005-12-08 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
oops, meant 1992.

[identity profile] wasabi-poptart.livejournal.com 2005-12-08 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
trans discrimination is so insidious, and mean. I first learned about it in regard to the whole Michigan Womyn's Festival uproar, about how only natural born womyn would be allowed because it was supposed to be a sacred space, blah blah blah.

anyway, I couldn't tell you where to write letters to in Canada, but I know of several resources in America, if you're interested.

[identity profile] arwenoid.livejournal.com 2005-12-08 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
the whole RR organization pisses me off. They are not pro-woman, they're anti-man.

[identity profile] planetalyx.livejournal.com 2005-12-09 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
If you want to hit RR where they live, you'll want to target the media, especially media that feminists, lesbians and trans people will read. If you're angry at the courts too--and why wouldn't you be?--I'd say go for the big paper.

I hope Herizons takes you up on it.

[identity profile] blue-lotus.livejournal.com 2005-12-09 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
I already heard back from her, and she said wait until the case goes to Supreme Court.

[identity profile] planetalyx.livejournal.com 2005-12-09 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
Ah--I suppose that's no surprise.

[identity profile] jinxremoving.livejournal.com 2005-12-09 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
nearly two years ago over here, julie bindel, a transphobic old-school feminist, wrote an article in the guardian about the nixon case and used it as a springboard to bitch about transwomen in general. she then invaded the trans forum on technodyke.com and insulted the folks who objected to her offensive comments. nowhere in her guardian article did she mention that nixon was herself a rape survivor. instead she was furious that "that bastard" challenged RR's decision, rather than being furious that RR would rather put funds into defending their decision in court than into supporting survivors.

and two weeks ago, i was in glasgow at a meeting about new legislation which outlaws discrimination against transsexual people. unfortunately, some representatives of organisations which solely or primarily support women indicated that they were seeking loopholes to avoid employing or admitting trans women.

in my naivete, i didn't expect to hear folks bleating about "women-born women" in scotland in this day and age. but i was wrong.