Women’s Shelter Kicks Out Women Who Protest Male Resident
Designed to provide safety for abused women, the shelter kicked out two women who objected to a man who identified as female being allowed to stay.
It’s a women’s shelter, but not a shelter for women who aren’t comfortable with men who want to be women. Two women were asked to leave the NOW Canada Society’s women-only homeless shelter in Kelowna, Thursday after they raised concerns about a man who called himself a woman being allowed to stay.
One of the women, Tracey, found out about him when he was assigned as her roommate at the shelter, which provides services for abused women.
They ‘Have to Go With That’
“He wants to become a woman, I mean that is his choice,” she told Global News recently, “but when a man comes into a women’s shelter who still has a penis and genitals he has more rights than we do.” When Tracey went to management, she was brushed aside. “They told me, ‘Sorry, if a person identifies themselves as female, then we have to go with that.’”
When a man comes into a women’s shelter who still has a penis and genitals he has more rights than we do.
Another woman at the shelter, Blaine, had just left an abusive relationship and was very leery of men. “Some women have bad experiences with men so they are there to flee men and now we have a man living there,” she said.
After the women spoke to the media, they were asked to leave the shelter permanently, as they had broken the confidentiality agreement “designed to protect the safety of all the clients,” according to NOW Canada Society, the organization that runs the shelter. They don’t regret speaking out, but now they are worried about their safety. “We’ll stick together,” Tracey said.
NOW Canada Society provided a statement to Global News that while they cannot comment on specific cases, “It is against the law to discriminate against transgender individuals. NOW Canada and other shelters in Kelowna welcome people without regard to age, race, religion and gender identity.” The organization said they do not have enough space so that transgender people can have their own rooms.
But the women Tracey and Blaine now have to live on the street, while a man enjoys the women’s shelter. “Hopefully we will stay safe,” Blaine said.
