I believe one of society’s, even more specifically Edmonton’s, largest communicative lapses lies in the structural gaps (or non-existence) of LGBTQ2S sexual violence support. It is a system that “literally kills trans people” as “many victim services organizations limit access by sex-segregation and few have providers with basic trans cultural competency” (Munson). I went to a documentary screening a few weeks back for Safqey’s “For Want of a Home.” Safqey operates out of Edmonton and is aimed at helping LGBTQ2S youth who are homeless. The documentary interviewed homeless youth and the service providers of homeless shelters, government organizations and other support services. Across the board, the message seemed to be the same: the lack of education was directly linked to the lack of support and lack of safeguards for LGBTQ2S in the community.
As Michael Munson pointed out in his article Transgender Sexual Violence Survivors Are Slipping Through the System, “what hard experience…has proven is that sexual assault systems are, overall, more harmful than helpful to trans people who had just been raped or who are trying to cope with the lifetime aftermath of child sexual abuse” (Munson). Following the viewing of “For Want of a Home,” there was a panel of five people including youth members of the homeless LGBTQ2S community in Edmonton and David French, from Homeless Support Services. A wide range of topics were covered from personal experiences of being kicked out and living in the streets to the most basic communicative approach of starting a conversation by sharing the pronouns you use and then asking the pronouns of others. Someone spoke of the fact that once a child turns eighteen their parents no longer are required to look after them. However, parents are also not obligated to give the child access to things like their Social Insurance Number or passport. So now you have children, homeless on the streets, with limited identification and as a result, limited access to services. Two trans teens (one only fourteen years old) spoke about the dangers of accessing shelters and the criminalization of homelessness. Shelters are arranged into men, women, and child categories. The intake forms very specifically request the identification of birth sex. But when the birth sex is no longer the gender the person associates with, people are mis-gendered and mis-placed within the shelter, opening more doors to sexual violence. If you can’t access the shelters to sleep, you may accidentally fall asleep on the train in the middle of the day. While this is something many people who work long days and have homes are known to do, cases of children sleeping on trains are more often than not, reported to police. The fourteen year old trans teen also shared with the small crowd gathered, two sharp whistles and you knew to clear out. The cops were coming.
“When we promote the myth that sexual assault is only men's violence against Women survivors who fall outside of those prescribed gender roles are erased” (Munson). It even boils down to something so basic as using the word “chest” opposed to “breast.” One of the panel members shared stories of hospital visits, in which the horrible experiences could have been avoided through the introductions of pronouns that are used. “If you don’t know, ask.” Also, the basic rule of asking before you touch. Many survivors of sexual violence associate touching with violence and triggers. Asking the appropriate questions before touching a certain body part can help both the nurse/ doctor and patient have a more positive experience. But the problem is not solved by adding an extra question or two into the mix of routine, preliminary medical questions. Society has made passing, for a trans person, the end goal. A panel member made a striking comparison when they spoke of the CPR training received in the workplace. CPR training is mandatory in the workplace because it is the most immediate conception of maintaining life. So, why, when the mistreatment and lack of education regarding the LGBTQ2S community is literally leading to the death of trans and other members of the non-binary community, is there not the implementation of basic LGBTQ2S discussions in all workplaces and services? What are we valuing a life on?
I have included the link for Safqey and Lazy Kitten’s documentary, “For Want of a Home” below. It is only 45 minutes and free to watch.
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