Latest news with #trans rights
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Sudbury mine story was ‘about a man using the men's showers,' says gender studies professor
Lau O'Gorman, who is non-binary, has co-authored a comprehensive guide on the use of inclusive pronouns and language. They also used to teach in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Thorneloe University. A professor of women and gender studies in Greater Sudbury is taking CTV News Northern Ontario to task for a recent story about gender identification and shower policies at Vale Ltd. The story quoted a letter writer who works at Vale in Sudbury who said he was uncomfortable sharing the showers with someone with 'female body parts, both top and bottom,' adding that it was 'compromising our marriages.' But in an interview, Laur O'Gorman said we incorrectly identified the person as 'a woman who identifies as a man,' when really, it was about a trans man. Inflammatory language 'So if you're using the language the letter writer used, and you're saying a woman who identifies as a man is using men's changing rooms, well, that sounds like (it's) really a woman in the men's room,' they said in a Zoom interview. 'But if you use the accepted language and you say, 'trans man showers in men's changing room,' it's a man using a men's room, right? And it takes away a lot of the piece that seems inflammatory.' Under the law, O'Gorman said employers as big as Vale are required to allow workers to use facilities that match their gender identity. In this case, the person's gender identity is male and so uses the men's shower. 'If you use the accepted language and you say, 'trans man showers in men's changing room,' it's a man using a men's room, right? And it takes away a lot of the piece that seems inflammatory.' — Laur O'Gorman 'As a trans man, you are a man and not a woman who identifies as a man,' O'Gorman said. 'A trans man may choose to use the all-gender facilities or may feel safer using the men's room -- or more affirmed using the men's room.' It comes down to safety, they said, and which room this person feels most comfortable using. O'Gorman, who is non-binary, has co-authored a comprehensive guide on the use of inclusive pronouns and language. They also used to teach in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Thorneloe University. The guide defines a trans man as 'men who were assigned female at birth (AFAB). They often have a masculine name and appearance.' O'Gorman said it's challenging for trans men to live in a body that people may see as another gender. 'You see yourself as a man,' they said. 'Other people may or may not.' O'Gorman said some trans men look very masculine and don't feel comfortable using non-gender facilities. And employers such as Vale are required to accommodate them. 'I've seen like a lot of trans men that have full beards and are like these big, buff, tall guys,' they said. Following the law 'The employer is just doing what the law says. The union is supporting the employer and doing what the law says. The trans person is using … the showers where they feel most comfortable.' Another part of the worker's letter said he not only felt uncomfortable, but that the trans man was threatening his marriage. O'Gorman said it's difficult to understand how showering with a trans man could threaten someone's marriage. 'The solution is close your eyes – (then) there's no problem,' they said. 'The whole situation can be fixed by just not looking at them, just the way you don't really look at any of the other men's bodies. Don't look, right? Like, it's a very simple thing in my opinion.' — Laur O'Gorman 'I would suggest talking to a therapist about it because, like, there's no physical threat. The person is not doing anything. They're minding their own business and taking a shower. 'The whole situation can be fixed by just not looking at them, just the way you don't really look at any of the other men's bodies. Don't look, right? Like, it's a very simple thing in my opinion.' O'Gorman said the issue is part of a larger narrative that portrays trans people as somehow a threat, when in reality, they are extremely vulnerable. Current political discourse is also demonizing immigrants, homeless people and even vaccine use, O'Gorman said, just as fear was spread during desegregation movements in the United States decades ago. Politicians play on the fear of the unknown for their own political purposes, not reality, they said. 'The political rhetoric is really dangerous, especially all of the discussion around bathrooms and what bathroom people should use,' O'Gorman said. While fear is being spread about bathroom use, O'Gorman said the reality is trans people are the ones at risk of being attacked in bathrooms, not the other way around. 'There is no case in North America … of violence in bathrooms involving trans people,' they said. 'There has never been a case of a trans person hurting somebody else in a washroom, in a shower, in these spaces. It has never happened.'
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Afternoon Update: Waters backs Greens co-founder's expulsion; Hecs debt on chopping block; and Nick Cave gives 2,000 books to op shop
Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update. The co-founder of the Australian Greens Drew Hutton is considering his legal and political options after he was officially expelled from the party over what it considers his pursuit of debate harmful to trans people. Hutton, however, has framed it as an issue of free speech. The story of Hutton's termination began in 2022 when he took to Facebook with a series of posts and comments, weighing into moves to annul the election of the state convener in Victoria and expel a member from the New South Wales party over what the Greens deemed to be their transphobic comments and writings. Hutton labelled those moves 'authoritarian and antidemocratic'. The party's constitution and arbitration committee found that while Hutton himself had not demeaned trans people, he had provided a platform for others to do. Hutton, who has drawn on the written support of both the Greens' first and second national leaders, Bob Brown and Christine Milne, issued his own statement saying that the party he founded had 'lost its way'. The Australian Greens leader, Larissa Waters, has backed the expulsion of Hutton, saying it reflected 'good governance' and sent the message that 'nobody is above the rules'. Two men killed in light plane crash that ignited 'fireball' in Queensland Woman speared in head airlifted to hospital as NT police search for alleged attacker Russia insists on sticking to its war demands amid Trump sanctions threat 'Everything here is just better': Ellen DeGeneres confirms she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump Owen Farrell to captain Lions in clash with First Nations & Pasifika XV BBC targets adults in the latest adventure for its top dog Bluey Sheep and dog competitions, shearing, fashion, craft and food were all part of the 25th Australian Sheep and Wool Show held in Bendigo over the weekend. 'Getting an education shouldn't mean a lifetime of debt.' Anthony Albanese says Labor's bill to cut Hecs debts will be first on his government's agenda when parliament resumes on Tuesday, saying 'getting an education shouldn't mean a lifetime of debt'. We hear the legislation will be introduced midweek into parliament, and while the Coalition say they haven't seen the bill yet, it's expected they might support the change. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion An Oxfam charity store in Hove, England received the trove which according to one staff member spanned a wide range of topics including philosophy, art, religion and fiction paperbacks. A few of the books even have ephemera used as bookmarks, including old plane tickets, a crushed cigarette packet and an old envelope bearing the words 'Lukes tooth'. The Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has appealed against her narrow loss to Nicolette Boele in Bradfield to the court of disputed returns. Voters deserve to know the fight is being resolved with the fairness integral to Australian elections and decoding a voter's poor handwriting is subjective, writes Simon Jackman, who makes the case to enlist AI to help. Today's starter word is: NAG. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Equalities watchdog guidance delayed until later in year
Guidance from Britain's equalities watchdog including on trans peoples' use of certain spaces is likely to be delayed until later this year. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it received more than 50,000 responses to its code of practice consultation. The commission had been expected to present final guidance to women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson by the time Parliament broke up for summer next week. But in an update on Tuesday, the regulator said it was continuing to review the thousands of responses and would be amending its draft code over the summer. In an update on its website, the commission said: 'We received over 50,000 responses to our code of practice consultation. 'We are working at pace to review these and will use our findings to amend the draft code of practice over the summer. Keep checking this page for further updates.' The commission had earlier tripled the length of time for feedback, from an original proposal for a two-week consultation, following criticism from some that this was too short a timeframe. Following a Supreme Court ruling in April, which said the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex, the commission issued draft guidance on a range of topics, including trans peoples' participation in sport and use of toilets. According to the draft, a birth certificate could be requested by a sports club or hospital if there is 'genuine concern' about what biological sex a person is. Elsewhere, the draft code said trans people can be excluded from competitive sport 'when necessary for reasons of safety or fair competition', and gave an example of how some services might be able to adapt to 'offer toilets in individual lockable rooms to be used by both sexes'. The code stated that a service provided only to women and trans women or only to men and trans men 'is not a separate-sex or single-sex service' under the Equality Act and could amount to unlawful sex discrimination against those of the opposite sex who are not allowed to use it. Commission chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner previously said there was an 'obvious' demand since the court's ruling for 'authoritative guidance' for a range of providers from businesses to hospitals to sports clubs.
