It started when Karlii Beaulieu, who is transgender, made a phone call to her bank to transfer something in her services. Something she’s done in the past. The clerk on the phone said there was a comment on the account, male calling on a female profile, she verified that that was incorrect. That evening she tried to deposit a cheque with photo deposit and it didn’t work. She tried accessing a few different things in her bank account and couldn’t. Beaulieu then called back and explained to the supervisor that it was a misunderstanding. He said he couldn’t do anything and she had to go to the branch, even though every detail had been verified earlier in the same day. Beaulieu said she couldn’t because of the extreme cold.
All she could think about was the comment on her profile, male calling on a female profile.
Her account was flagged for fraud and she couldn’t access any money to use for anything.
This isn’t the first time it’s happened to her. She had the problem before when she was transitioning. When it happened the first time there wasn’t as much at stake because she wasn’t living by herself.
She felt discriminated against. She says it’s not okay to assume someone’s gender because of the sound of their voice. Adding that it’s 2019, people should be up to date on gender roles and not assuming.
Her account has since been unfrozen, although not all services have been restored to her account.
She won’t be switching banks because she doesn’t want to go through all of this again. Beaulieu’s bank is working on being more inclusive and trying to make sure nothing like this happens to her ever again.
Her message to people who are going through a similar situation is to speak up and look for help. They shouldn’t give up when they feel like everything is taken away from them.
