Many of us in the West End use public washrooms and community centres every day without ever thinking twice about which door to use or what other people might think. Because for many of us, we have never questioned the sex we were assigned at birth. For many of us, our gender identities have been straightforward and our communities have been easy to navigate.
For trans and gender variant people, it can be much more complicated.
Stop for a moment to think about how many tiny little interactions in your daily neighbourhood routine are informed by a binary gender system that separates men from women.
In the West End when I head to the Aquatic Centre to go for a swim, the first thing I have to do is fill out an intake form to receive my swim pass. This supposedly simple and unassuming task, immediately asks me to check whether I am a male or a female.
Easy for some, but not for others.
If I am a trans person who is in the process of transitioning, then I may be concerned about being asked to prove my gender identity. If I am gender variant, I may simply not fit into one of two categories. Either way, this form does not work.
I then walk down the stairs only to be forced to make what is often an agonizing decision for trans folk which change room do I use when in a gender segregated space? What kind of bathing suit am I going to wear? And while the pool is usually open to all sexes, many recreational facilities offer gender specific programs, which might further complicates the choice that I have to make.
I am fortunate that for me, these processes have been easy.
As a cisgendered female (meaning that I identify with the same gender as the one that was assigned at birth), the experience of going to the Aquatic Centre is significantly simpler. As is going to the library to use the washroom, signing up for fitness classes and changing in front of other people.
Finding safe and inclusive spaces in my neighbourhood where I can work out and feel included has been something I have largely taken for granted.
Unfortunately for trans identified or gender variant folk, the world is not nearly as welcoming or safe. And for this reason, on Monday May 13, the Vancouver Park Board made history when it unanimously adopted a motion to strike a working group to consult on how to make their facilities and programs more inclusive of trans and gender variant people.
(Full disclosure as the Executive Director of QMUNITY, B.C.s Queer Resource Centre, I attended the meeting and spoke in support of the motion on behalf of our organization.)
I am delighted by the leadership demonstrated by our local government in taking this bold step towards making West End spaces, and the rest of Vancouver, accessible for everyone. In fact, while national and provincial legislation is important, I believe that local government is uniquely positioned to make the most palpable impact on peoples daily lived experiences.
Exploring concepts like gender neutral washrooms and signage is an obvious step towards making our neighbourhood a safer and more inclusive space. I, for one, look forward to the day when I dont have to look for a symbol of a stick figure in a skirt to know whether or not this bathroom is intended for me.
Dara Parker is a West End resident and the executive director of Qmunity, a resource centre for the lesbian, gay, trans, bi and queer community.
