Change room woman writes

Re. Anne Gunion letter Gender rules concern (Castanet, Feb. 8)

Anne Gunion recently submitted a letter to Castanet about a man changing in the women's change room at the Vernon Aquatic Center. I would like to add more information to that letter.

My name is Amanda Wilson and I am the person in question. I am in my 60’s. I am also a post-operative transgender woman. I had surgery 13 years ago. It appears the two 14-year-old girls (who reported seeing me) never actually saw me completely naked.

The girls told their uncle I had male sex organs but I have female sex organs, at least on the outside. I am very masculine looking and as a result, I believe they assumed I had male sex organs. I do not. As well, I have some breast growth. I am legally female.

Unfortunately, (what the girls said) caused a lot of problems. I understand how they would be upset seeing a man changing in a female changing room. I have met several very masculine-looking women who were born female and have told me they too have had problems.

I agree that a person who does not have the physical sex organs of a woman should not be allowed in a woman's changing room. However, as long as the sex of the person corresponds with the sex required in the changing room, there should be no problems.

Are we as a society going to start discriminating against people based on what they look like? If that is the case, what is next, banning people of different races?

We live in a society that is no longer black and white. Many people believe there are only two sexes. But, in reality, there are three sexes. Some people are born with both sexes, male and female. They are called intersexed. However, they only identify as one gender.

The letter is based on false information. As a result, the harm it created to the transgender community is very bad.

Whether you agree that transgender people should be allowed to use change rooms is your opinion. Bill C-16 ensures that transgender people have rights too. As I stated, I do not believe that someone who has a sex opposite to that of the sex required in the said change room should not be allowed to use the facility. However, if they are post-operative and they are legally and physically female, they should be allowed to use the female change room.

I would not care much about the letter but I am concerned about the trans community. This is a hot and contested topic. Some believe I could use a separate changing room. That is true. But should we also force people of other races to use separate change rooms?

I have lived in Mexico and Peru as a female and had no problems but it seems that in Canada, there is too much discrimination.

Amanda Wilson