B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
A civil rights group warned Uber Eats that its app profiles place transgender drivers at risk of harassment and violence, prompting the company to apologize Tuesday to a Kansas man and to resolve issues within the app that outed him.
The move came after American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas released on Tuesday morning a letter it had sent the day earlier to the food delivery service on behalf of Laine Repic, a 41-year-old transgender man in Topeka, Kansas, who has been driving for the company since April.
The ACLU of Kansas contended that Uber Eats has forced Repic to have his app profile display his legal name, which he no longer uses and which does not match his male gender presentation -- effectively outing him as transgender.
It noted that Repic has experienced harassment and ridicule as a result when he drops off food to customers and has made him fearful for his safety.
"Having to, like, drive around with that name following you everywhere from customers it was nerve racking and it was scary and we shouldn't have to be put in that position -- especially when it was such a simple fix," Repic said Tuesday in a phone interview.
Repic said he reached out to the ACLU because he needed someone who would have his back and Uber didn't seem to support him.
"While nobody was physically, violently attacking me, these microaggressions they eat at you over and over and over again... I shouldn't have to tell my life story and I shouldn't have to be forced back into the closet because of that. It wears on you, it's draining, it's tiring, it's demeaning because it's like you are not being taken seriously. Having to fight for your own identity, it absolutely takes a mental toll on you. And this was my breaking point," Repic said,
In an emailed statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday afternoon, Uber apologized to Repic for the difficulties he faced as he tried to make changes to his profile within the app -- which it said have now been resolved.
"We recognize that for transgender and non-binary drivers and delivery people, the name on their ID does not always reflect their true identity," the company said. "That's why we recently announced they can choose to display their self-identified first name, without requiring the display of their legal name."
The company added it was working to further improve its systems, and has set up a fund to help drivers and delivery people cover the cost of updating their name and gender on state and federal ID's.
Repic and the ACLU learned of the company's statement after the AP read it them during an interview. It was not immediately known if the San Francisco-based company later reached out to Repic personally.
"I'm glad they did this and hopefully they will get those systems in place," Repic said. "It shouldn't have taken all this to get there."
Repic said he had previously tried unsuccessfully to update his driver profile so it shows his correct first name and pronouns.
Repeatedly he contacted the company through messaging on the driver app as well as emails and phone calls. He has been given the run-around or no response at all, said Sharon Brett, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas.
"In addition to possibly violating state and federal law, forcing transgender UberEats drivers to deliver under their dead names is bad policy," the ACLU wrote. "It needlessly places transgender drivers at risk of harassment, degradation, and violence."
The ACLU said that for many people obtaining a legal name change can be a long, difficult and expensive process.
Gabriel Arkles, senior counsel for the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, said some employers have been moving in the "right direction" but still have a long way to go since the U.S. Supreme court in a landmark 2020 ruling held that the Civil Rights Act protects employees against discrimination because they are gay or transgender.
"This issue brings out some of the differences between saying a company treats people equally and actually creating conditions for people to have equal access to employment... To really achieve the promise of the Supreme Court victory, we need to make sure that the actual practices of companies like Uber Eats are changing," Arkles said.
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.