A transgender British comedian says she was humiliated during her detention by Canadian immigration officials at Toronto Pearson International Airport Monday afternoon.
Avery Edison, a 25-year-old comic and writer, flew into Toronto in order to pick up a few of her items and visit her girlfriend. Edison had previously stayed in Canada but overstayed her visa. According to her tweets, she thought a non-refundable return ticket and a copy of her London lease would have been enough to avoid the snafu but admits her predicament was 100% her fault.
Edison was detained for roughly eight hours, according to Toronto Life. During her ordeal, she took to Twitter through the airport's Wi-Fi network to let her followers know what was going on.
At one point, Edison thought she would be sent home but immigration officials instead said her case would have a hearing, meaning she would be detained overnight.
At first, Edison's tweets show she was still in good spirits, making jokes via Twitter.
But when Edison's status as trans woman came up, her tone then changed.
Edison was eventually transferred to Maplehurst correctional facility, a men's prison, because of her male genitalia, according to Jezebel.
A study by the Ontario Human Rights Commission states "[transgender] people may be placed with those of the sex with which they do not identify," though there has been a case of a judge recommending that those convicted of a crime as a male but are transitioning to the gender of a female may be placed in a women's correctional facility.
In an interview with Canada.com, Romy Sugden, Edison's partner said she's been in contact with lawyers, Maplehurst officials and the British consulate and that Edison will be kept in isolation from other inmates for her safety.
“Everybody, save for one person at Maplehurst, has consistently misgendered her, refusing to call her ‘she,’” said Romy Sugden.
You can view all of Edison's and Sugden's tweets collected in the Storify below:
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that it was Edison who had been in contact with lawyers, Maplehurst officials and the British consulate. The story has since been updated.
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