Here we go again with the 'scurred' of transwomen in the bathroom bull feces. Thanks to the Toronto Sun and a tip from a reader I found out about this incident.
This time it was a north of the border incident that happened to 38 year old Meaford, ON resident Carol Ann Kotsopoulos.
She encountered some unwanted excitement at the Casino Rama in Orillia, ON back on March 27, 2008.
Kotsopoulos was with her roommate Glenda Killby handling her business in the women's restroom when a female security guard shouted at her. "Are you a woman or a man?' Kotsopoulos jokingly shouted back to the guard from her locked stall, "I'm a transgendered woman, do you want to look?"
The guard according to her stated, "You cannot use this washroom, you'll have to use the unisex washroom."
Kotsopoulos stated the guard told her she was called there due to a complaint by another patron. "There is no unisex washroom that I have ever seen there."
The 5'8" 175 pound Kotsopoulos was escorted by the female guard to a public area of the casino, surrounded by four additional guards and escorted out the doors of the facility.Kotsopoulos has filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and is awaiting a mediation session in the fall with Casino Rama and an adjudicator.
Damn, can't we fracking pee in peace?
Frankly, I wouldn't have dignified that insulting question with an answer and finished handling my business. But I have to ask the questions percolating inside me about this incident.
The casino is not only owned by First Nations peeps, it sits on reserve land. You would think the last place a transperson would face such disrespect is in a First Nations owned casino due to the concept of two spirit people that is part of First nations culture.
The casino is managed by a US based company called Penn National Gaming in Wyomissing, PA. The Casino Rama is also the largest First Nations owned commercial casino in Canada and the only one in Ontario.
The other interesting thing is why they felt the need to bum rush her with five security guards? Would Ms. Kotsopoulos gotten that type of disrespectful and humiliating treatment from the Casino Rama security staff if she was a high roller dropping big money instead of the smaller amounts she could afford based on her small monthly disability pension?
I know the answer to that question, I just had to ask it.
Inquiring minds wanna know, especially since no one from Casino Rama is parting their lips to say anything about the incident.
Well, maybe the upcoming mediation session with the Ontario Human Rights Commission will loosen their tongues.
