Discrimination Alive and Well in the Forest City

People are entitled to their own opinions. I get that. But thrusting your opinions upon someone else – that’s just wrong. Even worse is when your opinion/belief affects someone in a way that threatens their livelihood. This is what happened to Karen Clarke, owner of True 2 You, and her employee.

On September 10, 2011 Karen received a call from the manager of Trails End in London, ON where she has a booth at their weekly market. The manager informed her that if she were to have transgender people working for, she would have to “take your business some place else”. There wasn’t an incident that spurred this, the manager and owner just agreed that they didn’t want “those people” working at Trails End. Here’s a link to a breakdown of the conversation between Karen and the manager, Vic.

This morning, I listened to interviews of all parties involved on AM 980, as well as feedback from people in the area. I was appalled by the owner’s stance. The owner, Ed Kikkert, thinks he has done nothing wrong and clings to the excuse that the issue is about the facilities not having proper bathrooms for “those people”. He spoke about how people would be “upset and worked up” if a transgendered person used a mens or womens washroom. When the interviewer pointed out that this was not the responsibility of the employee or any other transgender patrons of Trails End but that of the owner himself is responsible, the owner refused to comment. AM 980 has also published an article about the situation with Trails End and True 2 You. You can view the story here or you can listen to the interviews here.

One statement made by the owner of Trails End really stuck with me. He said over and over that Trails End is a family market, catering to families. The way he spoke, it was as if he were saying transgender people are monsters. No person, regardless of race, religion, sexuality or gender, should EVER be treated this way. It’s disgusting.

One positive thing that’s come out of this horrible situation is the positive response and resounding support that has come from London community, as well as individuals across Twitter and Facebook. Currently, a petition is being circulated and you can sign your name by following this link.

A Week of Firsts

This week has been a week of firsts. New daycare on Tuesday, 1/2 day at the new school Wednesday and today ushers in a brand new experience – the school bus. This morning, my daughter and her best friend Alice boarded the bus for the first time for their first FULL day of school. Today is also the first day that she didn’t cry. Every day this week has included tears for one reason or another but this morning, she boarded the bus like a big girl and waved goodbye to the parents at the bus stop. I cannot believe how grown up she looked as she climbed the steps onto the big yellow school bus.

Hopefully, the rest of today continues to be amazing and tear-free.

In other news, today is the first day of the Western Fair!! I didn’t win the blogger contest, but I somehow snagged a bunch of free passes! If you’ve never been to the Western Fair, I highly suggest you go. There is literally something there for everyone! The munchkin is excited about the rides and animals, and I love to walk through and look at all the booths. There’s always something interesting to look at and I usually walk away with at least one or two things. I’m sure this year will be no different.

On a side note – If you’re in London, check out the Groupon! It’s an amazing deal!