CALGARY—A transgender woman’s complaint about her treatment at a Canadian airport is no surprise to advocates who say air travel can be a minefield of bias against trans and gender-diverse people.Last week, Lenore Herrem said a WestJet agent at the Calgary airport outed her as transgender in front of other passengers after getting confused because the gender on Herrem`s identification did not match her presentation as a woman.Herrem posted on Facebook about the experience, saying after she boarded the plane, the gate agents came back and questioned her, loudly asking whether she had used her “girl name” to book the flight, even though the name on her ID matched the one on her boarding pass.WestJet issued an apology to her, and Herrem said the company told her it would do an internal investigation and implement training for the future.Herrem added in a text message Wednesday that using her ID to travel was never a concern before, but she now feels “extremely uneasy.”Being identified as transgender without consent is a concern because it can put trans people at risk of discrimination and harassment, advocates say.“Airlines should be implementing training to make sure this doesn’t continue,” Herrem said.In a statement, WestJet said it is reviewing the incident “as we are continuously assessing and evolving our practices and policies to maximize inclusiveness and celebrate diversity.”But trans and gender-diverse people say air travel can be a particular source of fear and anxiety, and the problems extend from the check-in desk to the boarding gate.Part of the stress comes from Public Safety Canada’s Secure Air Travel Regulations, which say an air carrier must not transport a passenger if “the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification presented.” A person may have to present a document signed by a doctor or therapist explaining their appearance has ...
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