VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Police Board must pay $15,000 to a transgender woman for discriminating against her, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ruled.

In a decision issued Tuesday, tribunal member Catherine McCreary found that police officers failed to respect Angela Dawson’s rights when they referred to her as “he” and used her former, male name during their interactions with her.

Dawson also experienced discrimination when she was arrested shortly after gender reassignment surgery, because nurses at the jail didn’t allow her to perform a procedure that was necessary for her recovery.

“It seems to me that the VPB has virtually no policies or training of officers on how to appropriately deal with trans people without discrimination,” McCreary wrote in her decision.

“I recognize and appreciate that policing is a difficult job; dealing with people in the most extreme circumstances…. However, the VPB needs to deal with these concerns in a more comprehensive way to endeavour to not discriminate against trans people.”

McCreary gave the police board a year to adopt new policies and train officers in how to identify transgender people without discriminating against them.

Dawson is well known across the city for her rollerblades, bright pink outfits and habit of directing traffic at busy intersections. That hobby has resulted in frequent interactions with the police as well as a few tickets from officers.

Police spokesman Const. Brian Montague said in an email that the VPD plans to carefully review the decision with an eye toward ensuring the safety of anyone who comes into police custody.

“With regards specifically to someone who is transgendered, understanding how that person identifies and being sensitive to that is very important,” he said.

“I will say that our officers are hired and trained based on some fundamental core values. One of those core values is respect and we expect our officers to be respectful of each and every one of the hundreds of people they encounter on a daily basis.”

He pointed out that the police force has included a transgender officer in the past, although that person is now retired.

blindsay@vancouversun.com

Twitter.com/bethanylindsay

Click here to read the decision

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