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!

The Western Fair

Year after year, I go to the Western Fair in my city. It’s always full of good rides, interesting food, loud music, crowds of people, bright lights and a buzz of excited. This year, I have a feeling all of the things I just mentioned will be better and more exciting. The Western Fair has had quite a year already. They re-branded themselves, relaunched their website and revamped their social media efforts.

One big thing they did was run a contest to drive traffic to their new page. Over 10 days, you had to collect puzzle pieces and build an image (this image ended up being their brand new logo). If you collected all 10 pieces, your name was entered in a draw to win 1 of 10 iPad 2′s. Surprisingly enough I won. This is not the reason that I am now a huge supporter of Western Fair District. I’m supportive of the company because they’re a part of London’s heritage. They’ve been around since 1867 and have provided London and the greater community with entertainment and fun for many years.

If the first contest Western Fair District wasn’t enough, they also ran weekly contests on Facebook to announce the bands coming to the fair this year. The response was incredible. Every Monday, a few dozen people would throw out every possible name, trying to win the tickets. The first person to guess the band, won 2 tickets to the show. This year, the person hiring the musical acts has outdone themselves. Sam Roberts, Colbie Callait and Down With Webster are joined by country music’s Paul Brandt and Bachman & Turner. Today, the final band was announced and it is none other than the infamous Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. I am completely blown away by the line up this year and cannot wait to sample everything the fair has this year to offer.

The last contest Western Fair is offering is astounding. The Real Serious Blogger contest. 5 bloggers will be chosen to represent the Western Fair this year and tell the world about their adventures in London. The winner gets 10 admission passes, parking for 10 days, 6 ride-all-day passes, 2 concert tickets to the show of their choice, a Real Serious Blogger t-shirt and a FREE Rogers product (worth $550)! I have officially entered and am awaiting the announcement of the winners on September 1st. Wish me luck!!

Now only one question remains: Is it September 9th yet?