The entire Fort Lauderdale police department may have to undergo special training after a police officer used the wrong pronouns with a transgender citizen.
The city’s Citizens Police Review Board made the suggestion Monday, after Officer James Brinton referred to Shelby Kendall, a transgender woman, as a male during a January traffic stop, reports the Sun-Sentinel.
“I think it’s fair. It’s a matter of training and the officers need training,” Marc Dickinson, a board member, said. The review board also suggested Brinton gets a written reprimand for the incident.
Brinton pulled over Kendall, a man who identifies as a woman, for reckless driving Jan. 28 because Kendall was drag racing a black Chevrolet Camaro against another car on a public road. Brinton gave Kendall a reckless driving ticket, but referred to Kendall as a male even though his driver’s license listed Kendall’s gender as “female. ”
Kendall filed a complaint against Brinton, saying he refused to change the gender on the ticket despite being asked to.
“If I’ve done everything I need to do for the state of Florida to recognize me as a female, he doesn’t have a right to purposely mis-gender me,” Kendall said about the incident.
Officers might have to watch a 13-minute long video released by the Department of Justice that gives special tips on how police officers should interact with transgender people. The police department would have to agree to the training before it would be implemented.
Kendall applauded the decision,saying the city was taking the rights steps to rectify the matter.
“I just think the city is showing they’re willing to help others and make everyone feel welcome,” he said.
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