Should the airport screening rule requiring passengers to look like their gender be removed?

The Transport Committee voted down a motion to rescind an airport screening regulation that trans-rights activist say could be used to prevent transgender Canadians from flying.

My motion to stop discrimination against transgender people are being debated at Transport Committee now. #hw

-- Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) February 9, 2012

NDP MP Olivia Chow brought in the motion after the regulations came to light in January. Blogger Christin Milloy from Mississauga, Ont., wrote about this section of the Identify Screening Regulations:

5.2 (1) An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if ...
(c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents....

The motion was defeated after Conservative members of the committee voted against it.

In cttee Cons vote unanimously against motion to rescinddiscriminatory regulation that prevents transgendered Canadians from flying #ndp

-- Randall Garrison (@r_garrison) February 9, 2012

The Conservatives just voted against my motion to stop discrimination against traveling transgendered community. Shame. #canqueer #hw #fb

-- Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) February 9, 2012

It's not clear if the regulation would be used to prevent transgender people from flying. Transport Canada says it is not aware of any case of a transgendered or transsexual individual in possession of a medical document who has not been permitted to board an airplane since the publication of the regulations. 

Should Transport Canada screening regulations be amended to remove this section about appearance and gender? Why or why not? Let us know what you think.



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Related: Should transgender Canadians be protected by a new parliamentary bill?