Hockey mom wants daughter allowed in boys' change room
B.C. mother takes case to human rights tribunal
Lori-Anne Charlton
The Vancouver Province
Monday, July 11, 2005
VANCOUVER - A Lumby, B.C., mother believes her daughter got the short end of the hockey stick while she was a member of the town's bantam house team, thanks to a B.C. Amateur Hockey Association policy requiring male and female players to change in separate rooms.
Jane Emlyn says female minor hockey players' rights are violated when they're forced to use separate changing rooms.
She's presenting her case to a mediator from the Human Rights Tribunal this morning, facing off against representatives from the B.C. amateur hockey association and the Lumby Minor Hockey Association at the Vernon courthouse.
"There's a lot of girls that play, and I think the majority of them see this as discrimination," Ms. Emlyn said.
According to Al Berg, a member of the B.C. association'- coaching committee, the policy was introduced in January 2001 by Hockey Canada, after a Human Rights Commission mediation session in Ontario. It states players over the age of 11 of different gender are not allowed to change in the same room at the same time. The policy came as a result of increased female participation on integrated teams.
Fourteen-year-old Jewel Emlyn, who plays on the Lumby Stars with two other girls, says being kept out of the changing room before and after games or practice means they miss out on a lot of team camaraderie.
"It's fun in the changing room. You get to talk and socialize with all the kids and talk about the game, and talk about the practices and just discuss hockey. And if you're in a changing room with three people, and there's another team there, it's a little awkward and not fun," she said.
Her mother adds that, while girls are allowed in the room 15 minutes before game time, much of the coaching goes on while players are changing. Female coaches are also banned from the room except during those 15 minutes.
Randy Barton, president of Lumby Minor Hockey, says his association has been fairly relaxed about enforcing the policy. But Ms. Emlyn says she's seen girls forced to change in boiler rooms and storage spaces, sometimes with members of the opposing team.
Ms. Emlyn would prefer shared changing rooms, with a dress code requiring all girls to have a minimum of shorts and T-shirt on, and boys to wear at least boxers. The minority gender would have to leave the room before members of the opposite sex shower.
A similar policy was introduced in New Brunswick last October, after the Human Rights Commission ruled a 14-year-old female player had her rights violated when she was forced to change separately.
If the dress code is followed, players will see less skin in the locker room than they do on the beach.
"We're not just, like, naked, running around," Jewel said, suggesting those who don't feel comfortable in a co-ed locker room could change elsewhere.
The father of one of her female teammates, who asked not to be named, said he's uncomfortable with the idea of his daughter changing in front of a group of boys at this age without a strict policy.
"I know what boys are like at that age," he said.
Ms. Emlyn said most of the youngsters on the team say they're fine with mixed changing rooms, but she has received several anonymous e-mails condemning her petition.
She's also felt a strain in relationships in her small, North Okanagan home town, 25 kilometres east of Vernon. Lumby has been known for its strong, tight-knit hockey community since the early 1900s.
"It's silly that I'm even having to fight this, actually," Ms. Emlyn said.
