Angelina Jolie and Transgender Rights
Recently, it was reported that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s child who was assigned female gender at birth has been wearing traditionally male attire and has requested to be called John (see here).
While John may face societal pressures and obstacles, in Ontario at least, he will be protected by law in his employment, accommodation, contracts and his access to services and facilities. These protections are found in the Ontario Human Rights Code (“Code”).
In 2012, the Code was amended to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds. This was a big step forward for the protection of transgender persons’ rights in Ontario.
Since that time, there have been several decisions from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario on gender expression and identity.
In the decision, a manger of a local market made discriminatory comments towards three transgendered women referring to the women as “cross dressing” and being “guys dressed up as girls.” Mr. Desa also made comments on a radio program that it was a “family market” and referred to the applicants as “these people.” The women and their co-worker were awarded between $5,000 and $20,000 as general damage for the breach of the Human Rights Code and injury to dignity and self-worth. Similarly, in a transgendered woman faced discrimination from her manager and employer during her transition and was harassed verbally and physically. The employer required that Ms. Vanderputten be treated as male in all respects until she completed gender re-assignment surgery. The Human Rights Tribunal awarded her $22,000 as general damages against her employer and the individual who had harassed her.
These decisions are a positive step forward in the protection of Trans’ rights in Ontario. We anticipate that as the Tribunal continues to release decisions interpreting the new human rights provisions, more Trans individuals will bring forward claims of discrimination and harassment under the Code.
For more information about human rights, see here.
If have experienced discrimination at work because of gender expression or identity or are concerned that your human rights are being violated, please contact us at [email protected] or 1-888-640-1728 (toll free) or 647-204-8107 (within the GTA).
The material and information in this blog and this website are for general information only. They should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. The authors make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of any information referred to in this blog or its links. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found on this website or blog. Readers should obtain appropriate professional advice from a lawyer duly licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. These materials do not create a lawyer-client relationship between you and any of the authors or the MacLeod Law Firm.
Recent Posts
Recent Posts
Justice for Unionized Employees
Unionized employees often seek our advice regarding human rights issues in their workplace. Sometimes this is because human rights violations have occurred and the union is not assisting them. Other times, the union itself may be part of the problem. The rights of...
Employee Entitlements Upon Termination
Termination is a stressful experience for any employee. An employee who has been fired needs to understand what their employer owes them, and what their employer is offering them. When employers do not make this clear, additional damages could be due to the employee....
Notice of Termination: Appeal Court Weighs in
When terminated, an employee should generally receive reasonable notice of termination or pay instead of notice. This is unless the employee has signed a contract that contains an enforceable termination clause (which we’ve written about here). The calculation of the...