Tolerated, but not accepted

One week before the Trans Day of Remember, Victoria News has published a story about attitudes of “tolerance” towards the trans community in Victoria, but not acceptance.

“I would get called for an interview and then when I met (the employers), you could just see it on their faces that I wasn’t getting the job,” said Shaed, a transgender woman. “The community here is tolerant, but tolerance is different from acceptance. Tolerance just means they’re going to leave you alone, but they’re still not accepting; they’re still not willing to have you come into their workplace and work on a front counter.”

Mainstream news articles about trans issues are often cringe-inducing with their cliches and focus on the sensational, but this story is very respectful and reflects events happening in the community, such as the Trans Needs Assessment, Transgender Archives at UVic and TDoR.