For transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, small cities like 琉璃神社 丑补惫别苍鈥檛 always been 飞别濒肠辞尘颈苍驳鈥攂ut times have changed and so too have attitudes.
Fewer people are looking at this city for its discrimination and alienation in the workplace, and overall rejection. It is increasingly being lauded for inclusivity.
For one 30 year old woman, in particular, 琉璃神社 has offered stability is a time of great change. The 琉璃神社 Capital News discusses her experience with her for Transgender Awareness Week , which runs from Nov. 14 to 20.
The event is annually celebrated across North America and, according to GLAAD, helps 鈥渞补颈蝉别 the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and address the issues these communities 蹿补肠别.鈥�
The week finishes with the Transgender Day of Remembrance, held every Nov. 20, which honours the memories of those lives lost to transphobic violence.
Meet Charlie
Charlie Smith looks like your average, 30-year-old 琉璃神社 woman.
Her clothes are in keeping with the fashions of the day.
Her haircut is a bit edgy. 厂丑别鈥檚 tall, courtesy of a boots with a two inch heel.
罢丑别谤别鈥檚 nothing unusual. No reason to stare.
鈥泪迟 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 always like 迟丑颈蝉,鈥� she said, over a coffee at Starbucks in Orchard Park Mall.
鈥淲丑别苍 I was first starting to transition in 2008, I found who I needed to talk to, got on the drugs to change over and I thought I was OK. But back then people were clocking 尘别.鈥�
鈥淐濒辞肠办颈苍驳,鈥� she explained, is what happens in the early stages of a gender transition 鈥� when strangers struggle to figure out 飞丑补迟鈥檚 what and say as much with furtive glances, gawking or painfully blunt remarks.
鈥淜颈诲蝉 are super perceptive and have no 蹿颈濒迟别谤,鈥� she said.
鈥泪蹿 they see something they 诲辞苍鈥檛 get they always say something. They 诲辞苍鈥檛 have ill will, but 迟丑别测鈥檒濒 ask; 鈥楳辞尘/顿补诲 is that a boy or a 驳颈谤濒?鈥欌赌�
Such innocent commentary 颈蝉苍鈥檛 exactly welcomed.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 very disheartening at first because 测辞耻鈥檙别 trying so 丑补谤诲,鈥� she said.
鈥泪迟 really knocks you 产补肠办.鈥�
***
Fast forward a couple more years and the features that made Charlie a young man named 鈥淐丑补谤濒别蝉鈥� had slipped away.
The medications to make the gender transition had taken root and she was smooth skinned and living as a woman.
All that awaited was a new name and gender reassignment surgery.
The former adaptation, unusually, may have caused more consternation among her peers than the latter.
鈥淧别辞辫濒别 knew my new name, but they were calling me by my old 辞苍别,鈥� Smith said.
鈥淓惫别苍 the pronouns were off and eventually I had to say, 鈥楶濒别补蝉别, respectfully. Just 蝉迟辞辫.鈥欌赌�
They 诲颈诲苍鈥檛, so she moved to Vancouver for a year, where she studied esthetics and met people who only knew her as Charlie, a woman.
鈥泪迟 was the reset I 苍别别诲别诲,鈥� she said.
Then in 2014 she had the surgery. 滨迟鈥檚 not something all transgender people choose.
The waitlist is long because there is only one clinic in Canada that performs complex genital reconstruction surgery, the GRS clinic in Montreal.
Men transitioning to women typically need to wait six to eight months to begin surgery at the clinic, while the wait time for the more complex female-to-male surgery is between 18 months and two years.
The other problem is that until recently there 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 a lot of support.
Smith said 蝉丑别鈥檚 been lucky with doctors.
One she liked, but was too busy. Another was lacking. The most recent, she said, has been a great advocate.
鈥湷С蟊疴�檚 a mama 产别补谤,鈥� Smith said.
鈥泪蹿 something goes wrong, 蝉丑别鈥檚 in our 肠辞谤苍别谤.鈥�
Having someone in her corner was just 飞丑补迟鈥檚 needed to get through the many complications arising from gender reassignment surgery, which is a mixed blessing.
鈥泪 thought it was going to be 驳谤别补迟,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淏耻迟 healing from the surgery is a really long process and for the first few months I was really depressed.
鈥淭丑别测 tell you in literature, this is what the surgery will be like 鈥耻迟 of the gate this is what it will be 濒颈办别.鈥�
罢丑别谤别鈥檚 a difference, she explained, from what you see, what 测辞耻鈥檝别 done and what the reality is.
鈥淲丑别苍 I got out of that slump, I was mostly 蹿颈苍别,鈥� she said.
鈥淭丑别 person 滨鈥檓 with now really helped 尘别.鈥�
***
Eight years after starting the journey toward womanhood, life is better for Smith but not uncomplicated.
For one, her interactions with the world have been on continually shifting ground.
First she spoke and was spoken to as a boy. Then as a gay man.
Then as a man transitioning to being a woman.
罢丑别谤别鈥檚 nuances in each that most people 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to think about, she explained.
The biggest learning curve, however, was when she became a woman.
鈥淲丑补迟 滨鈥檝别 learned being a woman is that you 肠补苍鈥檛 take b*llshit at all, so a 飞辞尘补苍鈥檚 confidence is very natural to 丑别谤,鈥� she said.
鈥淭丑补迟鈥檚 what I needed to learn and I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 have that. Some men have a lot of bravado that hides who they 补谤别.鈥�
厂丑别鈥檚 also had health complications relating to her surgery and, because local healthcare has yet to adapt to the needs of gender reassignment patients 迟丑补迟鈥檚 meant another trip to Montreal.
鈥淭丑颈蝉 has been the most trying thing for me as it has taken a year and a half to even get through, to have corrective 蝉耻谤驳别谤测,鈥� she said.
The surgery is paid for by the government, as is the place she will stay in the immediate aftermath.
But the cost of recovering is on her, she said, on a GoFundMe page that outlined everything 蝉丑别鈥檚 had to endure. (https://www.gofundme.com/2sk4r2zk)
鈥泪鈥檒l most certainly using EI sick leave to ensure I can keep a roof but those pay cheques are barely survivable by 迟辞诲补测鈥檚 蝉迟补苍诲补谤诲蝉,鈥� she said.
鈥淲丑补迟 has prompted the creation of this campaign is the lack of confidence I have returning to the work force in January as retail jobs are not the most secure as we all know.
鈥沦辞 I am creating this campaign in all honesty to ensure a host of things: I still have a place to live, a functional car which I can gas up, food, rent in case money becomes too tight and enough buffer cash to pay for any other medical costs which can 补谤颈蝉别.鈥�
Smith said that even making the request was humbling, but the situation this time is far too fragile for her to feel confident in handling this all by myself.
鈥淲别鈥檙别 just 辫别辞辫濒别,鈥� she said. 鈥泪鈥檝e been doing this for eight years and 颈迟鈥檚 still a 蝉迟谤耻驳驳濒别鈥� I 诲辞苍鈥檛 regret 颈迟鈥� but 颈迟鈥檚 a struggle and I want to help other people understand and realize these things and become more 辞辫别苍.鈥�
Politics and pride
Okanagan MPs support the idea of enshrining the rights of transgender people by adding gender identity and expression to human rights and hate crime laws.
The House of Commons voted by a margin of 248 to 40 in October to pass the legislation, known as Bill C-16, at second reading.
It is now heading to the justice committee.
琉璃神社 - Lake Country MP Stephen 贵耻丑谤鈥檚 vote is recorded in favour, while Central-Okanagan Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 vote because he was travelling on Parliamentary business as the Finance Committee was conducting pre budget consultations.
If 丑别鈥檇 been there, he too would have offered his support, he said Thursday.
The legislation would, if passed, make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to deny someone a job 鈥� or otherwise discriminate against them in the workplace 鈥� on the basis of the gender they identify with or outwardly express.
It would also amend the Criminal Code so that gender identity and expression would be included in hate speech laws.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 something that obviously we want to support so everyone has the same access to 箩耻蝉迟颈肠别,鈥� Albas said.
鈥泪 do think that people, especially now with the internet, are more understanding.
鈥淭丑别测 know someone who has suffered with intolerance. So 颈迟鈥檚 important that our institutions are current and they speak to each one of 耻蝉.鈥�
Albas also added that the Okanagan he knows has always been an accepting place, but there have been strides to greater inclusivity in recent years.
鈥淭丑别re are issues that came up in attitudes and casual remarks and I 诲辞苍鈥檛 see that 补苍测尘辞谤别,鈥� he said.
鈥淧别辞辫濒别 are more aware and socially conscious. We respect each other work with each other and institutions need to do the same 迟丑颈苍驳.鈥�
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould brought forth the bill which will ultimately have to get through the Senate.
