Transgender Rohit Singh Peace, who came to Canada from India as a student in 2010, was denied service by a bridal shop
News East West
TORONTO: Rohit Singh, an Indian transgender student who filed a complaint against a bridal shop in Saskatoon city in April after being refused service, has won the case.
The bridal shop has given $1,000 to Singh, who came from India to Saskatoon city in Canada in 2010 to study biotechnology. The shop has also apologized in writing to the Indian transgender who identifies herself as a woman.
“I am quite happy with the settlement,’’ Rohit Singh (now Rohit Singh Peace after her marriage) was quoted as saying after the settlement of the case.
The incident happened on April 21 when Rohit Singh and her finance Colin Peace went to Jenny’s Bridal Boutique to buy a bridal gown for her wedding.
When Rohit Singh Peace selected a dress and wanted to try it, the woman shopkeeper didn’t allow, saying, “‘Oh, I don’t allow men to wear dresses in my store.’’
Singh tried to explain to her, saying, “I’m not a man, I’m a transgender and my sex-change procedure is going on.’’
But the woman shopkeeper didn’t listen and snatched the dress from Singh.
Singh bought the bridal gown from some other shop to get married to Colin Peace and later filed the complaint against the bridal shop for discriminating agaisnt her because of her sex.
Now known as Rohit Singh Peace, the Indian transgender expressed her happiness over the mediation by Saskatchewan province’s human right commission in her favour.
“I don’t think any other business will do this again,’’ Rohit Singh Peace was quoted as saying.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission said the shopkeeper violated the Indian transgender’s rights under Section 12 of The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.
Rohit Singh Peace says the money given to her by the bridal shop will go to two local charities.
