By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
FEAR and discrimination forced a 21-year-old transgender woman to flee The Bahamas for Canada.
Desiree Monet Johnson told The Tribune she moved to Canada in March when discrimination began to take a toll on her mental health.
She said she spent many days locked inside her home because she feared being judged or physically harmed.
“It was days where I wouldn’t even want to step outside,” she said. “Because every time you go somewhere, it’s people criticising you, judging you, (or) a person wanting to fight you for who you are. That’s just the public. Then you have to go home and deal with homophobic family. It’s a lot, you know? I wasn’t accepted on no side, mother (or) father.”
Transgenderism has become a significant source of political debate in the United States recently, with conservative states moving to curb rights for people who identify as transgender.
Before using hormone pills to transition from a man to a woman, Ms Johnson said she occasionally dressed up like a woman. She said she loved expressing herself through hair, makeup, and fashion.
However, when men attracted to her discovered she was transgender, she said they often tried to fight her.
“In November, I was walking somewhere. This guy pulled up on me thinking I was a woman. When he turned his car around, he noticed that I was a guy. He came out and wanted to fight me,” she said.
Ms Johnson said when she shared her experience on social media, some people encouraged her while others bashed her.
She said she was forced to move from house to house because family members disapproved of her.
She claims she was raped years ago by a jet ski operator.
“My family doesn’t know that,” she said. “That’s something I lived with every day. My mother died not knowing that. So it’s like they are judging me and don’t really know my story.”
She said being raped at 11 years old, not being accepted by her family, and losing her mother at 15 took a toll on her mentally.
She said the events caused her to suffer manic episodes, eventually forcing her to enter Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre in 2020.
She said after leaving Sandilands, she moved to Canada for a better life.
“(Transitioning) is something I always wanted to do,” she said. “I love to feel pretty, gorgeous and dress up. It’s something I really wanted to do for a long time, and I was in denial for a while thinking that I didn’t want to become a woman. But that’s because I know it wouldn’t be accepted in The Bahamas. And I know I wouldn’t be comfortable living as a woman in The Bahamas.”
Comments
SP 1 year ago
This guy and all the trans-gender others need psychiatric help. His pretending to be a woman does not make him a female any more than my pretending to be rich makes me wealthy!
Running away from reality never worked for anyone, and certainly will not work for him. He will associate with others in need of the same psychiatric help he needs, and at the end of every day, he will still be the same as when he was born dressed as a woman wearing a wig.
Baha10 1 year ago
Sad Story, but “he” is neither a she, her, Ms. nor Woman and unless “he” returns to The Bahamas as a “he”, “she” will be denied entry, as does not match the sex of “her” Passport ….
ohdrap4 1 year ago
Why would he want to come back? Canada is such good woke place to live.
ThisIsOurs 1 year ago
Canada just like everywhere else, there are probably more areas where homosexuals can roam freely but just as equally they have racists and homophobic citizens just like every other country.
I think everybody deserves to walk the earth in peace no matter who they are as long as they're not causing harm, but I do not get the exaggerated feminism, 5 inch eyelashes, 15 layers of foundation, or on the opposite side the exaggerated masculinity, men and women dont act like that... or maybe they do somewhere and I just dont know.
I do wonder if sexual trauma confuses some people, this sounds like a common refrain.
trueBahamian 1 year ago
Reading this story where it's mentioned being rapee at 11, I would agree with your assumption of confusion. Perhaps, the first thing would be to address all of the issues that they have dealt with. I'm not going to debate on the transgender topic but the first thing that needs to be ironed out is whether there is some issue driving this or do most or all of them actually want to.change gender. That is a very radical step.
On the exaggerated behavior, I agree as well. It's like trying to be a woman or man times two or three.
hrysippus 1 year ago
Not as many hate filled comments as might be expected. Good, perhaps our country is becoming a little more tolerant ,and ,dare I say it , embracing of the Christian values of love for our fellow man, woman and whatever you choose to be.
IslandWarrior 1 year ago
"The Bahamian people are glad that Desiree Monet has left The Bahamas, his lifestyle is not in line with traditional Bahamian values; so I wouldn't celebrate the Bahamian People as tolerant; you freaks are not that lucky."
GodSpeed 1 year ago
Canada lets anyone into their country, soon they won't have a country, and everyone will run back where they came from.
mandela 1 year ago
Great going, now collect the rest of your gang and have them follow you to Canada.
Sickened 1 year ago
Hopefully he promotes the hell out of Canada.
Topdude 1 year ago
Some of these shemen look good even better than a lot of women. The problem is they were born as men. And they pretend to be female. Some get surgery and hormone treatment. They need psychiatric treatment.
ExposedU2C 1 year ago
Glad IT believes IT may be happier living among the unusually large number of ITS found in most Canadian cities these days.
ThisIsOurs 1 year ago
Dehumanizing anybody is not good. Theyre a living breathing human being, just like us, they feel joy pain happiness sadness they want to achieve success like everybody else. We do not have to agree with their life choice to recognize that. Dehumanization is dangerous and is often the foundation of extreme violence against an individual. We dont support violence or extreme violence against anybody alternative lifestyles, criminals, politicians or regular citizens
IslandWarrior 1 year ago
'ITs' are not human or a creation of The All Mighty God; they are 'ITs', so 'ExposedU2C' will be ok as long as he doesn't don't live in a European Country.
ThisIsOurs 1 year ago
By your statement you give yourself or a brain dead person permission to kill. Nowhere near funny. This is the same type of language that killed and brutalized Emmett Till and thousands of others for some other theyre not human like us reason. I wont be able to rationalize with you but maybe the universe will
IslandWarrior 1 year ago
Emmett Till's tragic death is a reminder of the lasting impact that hate, and discrimination can have on individuals and society as a whole. As we honour his memory, let us remember his humanity and the importance of treating his memory with dignity and respect.
It is also crucial to recognize that harmful phenomena, such as racism and other mental health issues like homosexuality, can damage individuals and communities. Instead of promoting or ignoring such behaviour, we should work to discourage it and support those affected by it. Doing so can help create a world where everyone feels valued and supported and does not fall to the forces of darkness.
ThisIsOurs 1 year ago
This is warped reasoning.
In racism it's the racist who's the antagonist and in homophobia it's the homophobe who's the antagonist
Both antagonists look at the groups they target their hate to as less than and therefore deserving of any treatment they get sometimes viscious heckling, sometimes brutal beatings and sometimes brutal beatings accompanied by death.
It's the they're not human that's a break from reality and a threat to humankind everywhere
Homosexuals/lesbians and since you mention forces of darkness, non believers as well, all make a life choice. I dont agree with it but by no means do I think it can be prayed away.
The catalyst you're looking for is love, noone who knows you hate them will listen to your reasoning for why they should be like you.
IslandWarrior 1 year ago
Warp is the choice that a man lay with another man or a woman with another woman in bed, calling it love. While the racist can admit his environment has influenced his views, a homo (and their supporters) try to justify their mental sickness as normal.
The darkness of the homo life is death and a greater antagonist to the creation and the things we all see as normal. So any treatment they get, "heckling, brutal beatings or brutal beatings accompanied by death", is a useless sacrifice, and I could say deserved if the one affected by the phenomenon does not seek help for his affliction.
"Despite the challenges they face, prostitutes, alcoholics, and drug addicts can choose a path towards recovery and seek treatment for their struggles." Yet, the homo community seeks to drag in a life of dark indulgence, expecting a world of acceptance expectation that is the most prominent antagonist.
trueBahamian 1 year ago
That's over the top. Although, you may not agree with the decision, it's their decision to make. Every human being has a right to be treated as a person.
ExposedU2C 1 year ago
That IT will be able to go into any restroom or shower anywhere in Canada that IT chooses in order to get a good look at the exposed young sons or daughters of Canadians thanks to Justin Trudeau.
pileit 1 year ago
Are we to participate in delusion to ease the difficulty of this person's unfortunate delusion? I believe thats madness, the end game of all of this will be jarring. I wish young Desiree well.
ThisIsOurs 1 year ago
Nope. We dont have to agree with a thing he's doing. We just stay away from the hate speech
DillyTree 1 year ago
Reading through some of these comments, the sheer ignorance, intolerance and lack of compassion is embarrassing. However, it's not surprising for a country than can't even look after its women and children -- with domestics violence, rape and child abuse rampant. And we have the nerve to call ourselves a "Christian Nation" Only on Sundays...
I hope the lady finds her peace in Canada. At least there are legal protections there and medical and mental health care are available.
Sickened 1 year ago
I think this is God's way of slowing the disastrous effects of overpopulation. True believers are the last people who should speak ill of God's plan. After all God created man to do all things necessary in society - good or bad.
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