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It's About Equality, Stupid!

I am always perplexed by people and particularly those in the public eye such as politicians who talk the talk but when it comes to the walk, they take the bus.  Why is it so difficult for them to stand up for their convictions or are their convictions merely a pacifier for "fringe" groups?  Are they trying to ensure their longevity as politicians which is politics, or are they truly committed to public service?  This is a line often blurred.

Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms attempts to ensure that everyone is treated as an equal.  What is wrong with that concept?  Should we be saying we treat everyone as an equal except you?  That is often the case.  The transgender population is certainly in such a position but where does it end?  Do we next say that everyone is equal except those of a specific faith, or specific heritage, or unless you are at least a second generation Canadian?  Where is the line drawn?  Human Rights need to be protected at all cost.  They are what make us human, and politically, what define our democracies.

Shouldn't healthcare be available to everyone?  It is supposed to be yet families are burdened everyday with costs of care that aren't covered or only partially covered by extended insurance benefits; that is assuming of course that their employers are generous enough to provide it in whole or in part.

Why do our aboriginal communities have to fight for every right that we take for granted?  Are they not Canadian citizens?  Perhaps if governments treated them as such there would be less friction.

As one who is a prolific letter writer in this area, it is impossible to not feel the sting of rejection when politicians talk the talk but when faced with action and questioned for their lack of resolve, they ignore us.

I have yet to have a single person be able to tell me or give me a single REASON why I shouldn't be granted rights equal to anyone else in society.  Of course they will argue I do have them but the truth is exactly the opposite and can be evidenced many times over by Human Rights Complaints and narrow rulings.  A narrow ruling does not protect me except under the very specific conditions of that ruling.  It is a farce.

I am transgendered and as such suffer the sting of human rights abuses because as a society, we do not treat everyone equally.  I like to think of it as the hockey syndrome: win at all cost because someone has to be a loser.  I do not consider myself as a loser.

If I teach a class as the biological male I am, all is well with the world, but if I were to show up dressed professionally in a skirt suit and blouse to teach that same class the reception would be totally different.  In fact, my actions for professional presentation could easily be called into question by the administration.

If I go to a cosmetic surgeon for a facelift to remove wrinkles all is okay, but if I go seeking facial feminization I can be told "I dont treat people like you." and there is no recourse I can take; not even to the Human Rights Commission.

If I apply for an apartment rental as a male there is no problem but go as a transwoman and my chances of getting the rental are significantly reduced or nil.

The point here is that my presentation is not who I am.  It does not define my moral standards (they are high), it does not define my intellectual standards (they are equally high), it does not define my sexuality (not that it is anyone's business but mine), it does not define my religious beliefs. It says nothing about who I am yet I am judged for that every single day.

If your child comes to you and tells you s/he is gay or lesbian, are they no longer your child?  Are they less of a person?  Why?  How?

If your neighbour becomes a paraplegic due to a bar fight, is he or she less of a human being?

There is absolutely no argument that can be made that is in favour of promotion of discrimination on any level at any time.  There are arguments to be made for common sense, but not for discrimination; and of all discrimination, nothing can be worse than discrimination for diversity.

Equality should be the right of every human being.  It cannot be applied discriminately at any level and unfortunately, it is our lawmakers and the bureaucracies they oversee who are often most guilty of this very act; if not overtly then certainly covertly.

Kimberley

March 2009