Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) says it is reviewing an incident from Dec. 17, after an officer asked a transgender woman for her “deadname.”
It comes after the woman, Sabrina Hill, posted a video of the incident on social media.
Hill, a prominent local LGBTQ activist and licensed paralegal, told CBC Hamilton she posted the video “to highlight the very real experiences a lot of trans, queer and non-binary people experience when being policed here in the Niagara Region.”
“This isn’t my first experience … and it’s not getting better,” the 44-year-old said, referring to negative interactions with police.
“By me putting a bit of exposure on this, hopefully it’ll compel action. I’m a firm believer that sunshine is the greatest disinfectant.”
A deadname is the name a person used, often their birth name, before their transition.
For trans people, using their deadname can be “extremely triggering,” says Colleen Elizabeth McTeague, a trans woman and facilitator for the peer support group Transgender Niagara.
A 2018 study published in the U.S.-based peer-reviewed Journal of Adolescent Health found using someone’s chosen name reduced mental health risks among transgender youth.
McTeague and Laura Ip, the chair of Niagara Region’s diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory committee, told CBC Hamilton the incident is concerning and they want the police service to take action.
Video shows interaction with police
Hill says she was filming a documentary at the St. Catharines Bus Terminal about “hostile architecture” or “defensive design” — a design strategy to prevent crime, loitering, and other urban issues by making parts of a space, like a bench, uncomfortable to sleep on.
Hill says a security guard asked her to leave and she refused. Hill argues the terminal is a public space and she has a right to be there.
A police officer eventually arrived. The videos Hill posted, which include some edits, show her debating with security and police about whether the property is public and whether she is trespassing.
Eventually, a second officer arrived and spoke to Hill, as seen in clips she posted.
The officer asked Hill for her name, but Hill refused to share it. Hill told CBC she didn’t do so because she didn’t feel she needed to identify herself and she doesn’t trust the police service.
Then the officer asked another question, as seen in the video.
A video shows a Niagara police officer asking a trans person for their deadname. A deadname is the name a person used before their transition.
“What’s your deadname?” the officer asked.
“I’m sorry, what is my what?” Hill responded.
“Your deadname,” the officer said.
In the video, Hill asked what a deadname is and the officer says “I’m just trying to be respectful to you,” before asking for Hill’s pronouns.
Later in the video, Hill insulted the officer and said that asking about her deadname was “not respectful and disingenuous.”
In the clip viewed by CBC Hamilton, the officer did not ask Hill for identification — and, regardless, Hill said her ID has been updated and cites her current name.
The video shows other officers eventually arrived before Hill was handed a notice to leave the property.
The Niagara police service declined an interview, but spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin wrote in an email that officers spoke with Hill and tried to identify her to further its investigation, saying Hill was failing to leave when directed under the Trespass to Property Act.
Sabourin said Hill only agreed to leave after receiving a provincial offences ticket.
“The officer was attempting to identify and relate with the person involved over the duration of a prolonged difficult interaction,” Sabourin said.
Asking for deadname is ‘aggressive act:’ expert
Hill said she was “genuinely speechless” when the officer asked for her deadname and said the officer never should’ve done so.
“I got a real uneasy feeling in my stomach,” she said, adding that her former name is still a source of pain for her.
“That’s only done for one sinister, malevolent purpose — to cause me harm, to belittle me or to escalate. To enrage me so I will do or say something that will get me charged.”
Transgender and gender-diverse people sometimes change their name to better reflect their gender identity. Here’s how it can feel when someone ignores that.
McTeague said the act can be felt as “aggressive” to trans people.
“I would feel attacked if somebody asked me that and I would definitely refuse to provide that,” McTeague said in an interview. She had not watched Hill’s video, she said.
“For an officer to go digging like that is an abuse of power, definitely overreach … they could’ve asked for a piece of identification or other ID.
“It boggles my imagination, if the officer is attempting to develop a rapport with the person they’re interacting with, why they would think asking for a deadname would be acceptable?”
Ip, a Niagara regional councillor for St. Catharines, Ont., and the chair of the region’s diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory committee, also expressed concerns, saying the officer didn’t need to ask for Hill’s deadname or pronouns.
Hill, Ip and McTeague also say the officer involved needs more training and the police service needs to review its training materials.
Sabourin, from NRPS, said equity, diversity and inclusion training is a priority for the service and it is “committed to ensuring the safety of all members of our community.”
“We continue to have fulsome conversations with members who represent all of Niagara along with continuous education on how to build upon and improve existing relationships,” she said.
She added the service is reviewing the incident for “opportunities to improve future interactions and potential training.”
Hill said she is challenging the ticket she received and may pursue other avenues to address the officer’s behaviour, like a formal complaint.
