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Canada-bans-trans-people-from-flying

In reading the blog about the child sent to a psychiatric ward in Germany, I saw the following. That was terrible but affects only one child. One is of course too much.

But the following will affect many.

Canada-bans-trans-people-from-flying

I do not know how the folks here who are transitioning handle Department of Homeland Security Pre-flight checks, but the ban in supposedly "liberal" Canada, must be frightening. Poor Dorothy and I assume others who may have to deal with this.

RAMI

http://janefae.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/news-feed-canada-ban...

Comments

You Don't NEED One Dorothy

If you travel by your car and Ferry, and avoid airports, and you dress respectably, and time things right, you will mostly just be waved ashore and off past the closed offices of the "Immigration" and "Customs" onto the roads in the country you are visiting.

I have personally travelled all over Europe, and via Neutral countries like Sweden. Switzerland and Austria, across the Iron Curtain before it ceased to exist, many times, without being searched or checked. I confess that once I did it by waving a red diary that resembled an old British Passport and placing myself in the middle between two coachloads of tourists. and on one other occasion was able to pass into Britain with a box containing a Wasps Nest, where my car boot contents were being examined until the Customs Officer asked whether they were alive, and I offered to open it and see. He told me to drive away and stop wasting his time !

A lot I put down to attitude - if one behaves as though one is entitled to pass through then one usually is allowed to.

Briar

Does this mean if I flew to

Does this mean if I flew to Canada from the UK, the Canadian government would refuse to allow me to return to the UK?

If yes will they give me a house and income and citizenship lol

Lizzie :)

Yule

Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p

They may be responding to the US requirements

Puddintane's picture

The TSA tends to drive requirements throughout the world, at least that part of the world that has connecting flights to the USA, or overflies US territory.

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

Liberal Canada

Supposedly "liberal" Canada has a Conservative government in place right now, one which many of us are not at all happy with... a party that eyes with envy the stuff the Republicans can get away with down south. Our beloved (gag) Conservatives recently tried to introduce loopholes to scuttle many same-sex marriage, something they've wanted to sink since they got in power, but backed off at the public uproar.

Disgusted Lisa Danielle Lore
(normally) Proud Canadian

One thing I've noticed down here...

Is that both Liberals or Consertives may not be getting away with anyting for very much longer. The population down here is taking notice that both sides of the political spectrum are too corrupted and are, in general, a bunch of no-good liars interested in only themselves. I'm sure that there are exception, but none come to this particular mind.

Peace be with you and Blessed be

If you read the whole regulation...

S.L.Hawke's picture

...It is true that the current Aeronautics Act, Identity Screening Regulations reads in part:

Source: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2007-82/FullTe...

5.2 (1) An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if
(a) the passenger presents a piece of photo identification and does not resemble the photograph;
(b) the passenger does not appear to be the age indicated by the date of birth on the identification he or she presents;
(c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents;
(d) the passenger presents more than one form of identification and there is a major discrepancy between those forms of identification.

However, while section 5.2 (1)(c) *is* potentially a bit of a problem... it is important to keep reading, as there is also another piece of the same regulations, a little farther down the page:

(2) Despite paragraph (1)(a), an air carrier may transport a passenger who presents a piece of photo identification but does not resemble the photograph if

(a) the passenger's appearance changed for medical reasons after the photograph was taken and the passenger presents the air carrier with a document signed by a health care professional and attesting to that fact; or

(b) the passenger's face is bandaged for medical reasons and the passenger presents the air carrier with a document signed by a health care professional and attesting to that fact.

In particular, note section 5.2 (2)(a). All you need is what is commonly known as a "carry letter" (sometimes called a "bathroom letter") from a psychologist/psychiatrist/other medical professional. Such documents are not at all hard to obtain in Canada -- they can easily be obtained from most medical professionals pre-HRT or pre-anything, if you ask for them...

Similarly, the last time I had some revision Facial Feminizing Surgery work done (down in the States), the surgeon automatically provided me with a "travel letter" stating that I recently had cosmetic surgery and that my appearance and documentation might not match. Just routine business practice for cosmetic surgeons, from what I gathered -- at least, in the States, which I gathered already had similar appearance regulations even back then.

Shrug. Not that this matters in the slightest to me... there are times when I am glad I pass, and have all my documents in order...

I don't really follow politics much, but when I asked my husband about this a couple minutes ago his opinion was that this particular piece of stupidity is likely something a particular Minister slipped in "under the radar"... and it is only likely to last until such time as someone takes it to court and fights it as a human rights violation -- at which time a Supreme Court ruling tossing this crap out is all too likely. It may take a few months (or even a year or two...), but it will almost certainly happen. Especially since the transgendered rights bill (that the blog mentioned as dying when the last election was called) has been re-introduced, and is quite likely to pass this time. Shrug. Canada may be a fairly liberal place... but we do have a few individuals (some of whom are politicians) that are bigoted idiots...

But then, what country in the world can honestly say that *everyone* there is GLBT supportive? That they have *no* religious nutcases in power, at *any* level?

Except...

Particularly note the wording of 5.2 (2) - Despite paragraph (1)(a) ...

It makes no mention of b, c, or d. Only a. So if they're following the rules as written, not appearing to be of the gender indicated on your documentation is still grounds for refusing to let you fly. Either the legislation needs to be corrected to include b, c, and d, in the carry letter exclusion, or it needs to be changed not to include c in the first place.

Abigail Drew.

You misunderstood the identification

The paragraph (1)(a) states that if your appearance has changed for ANY medical reason, you just need a letter from a doctor explaining why.

It isn't referring ONLY to 5.2(2)a, it is referring to ANY of 5.2(2) that mentions appearance (which is all of them), it's just exception (a) of more than one.

Trust me,

The over paid, undertrained security guards that most Canadian airports have won't be paying any attentions to the spirit or the letter of said regulation... they'll be the drunk with power jerks they were before this... (generalizations mine) from my experience.
They're not generally kind.
Diana

my point...

exactly.

If they can, they will. And as written, they can.

It's a HUGE loophole that at least some of those airport security rent-a-cops will gladly use to make... a demonstration... of anyone whose lifestyle they disagree with.

Hopefully it will be as someone else has mentioned and the first time such an event occurs, the courts'll throw (c) out.

That'll still be one time too many...

Abigail Drew.

The U.S. Is worse

The U.S. is worse yet it hides as the Patriot act (not)
Love and Hugs Hanna

Love And Hugs Hanna
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Blessed Be
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