The police in the Canadian metropolis of Toronto issued a missing person report on Thursday. “Isobella Degrace, 27, was last seen on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 3am in the area between Ryerson Avenue and Bathurst Street.” And further: “She is described as 1.70 meters tall, slim, with shaggy blond hair and a full goatee. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and gray pants.”
There are concerns about the safety of Degrace, the report is not a joke, the police said on Twitter. Still, users question the message — especially the fact that Degrace is addressed with female pronouns. “How is that supposed to help?” someone asks. “Honestly, if that person is in danger, you’re doing the public a disservice by misleading that.”
«Facts instead of identity preferences!»
The message from the angry Twitter users: The fact that the police use the woman’s preferred pronouns does not help at all in the search for Degrace, in fact it is misleading and would only make the search more difficult. “How would you describe the woman on the phone or on the radio, for example? Would you then mention that she looks like a ‘common man’?” interjects another user.
“Could you maybe use facts for your missing person reports instead of identity preferences?” Another person poisoned. “This is about finding a missing person and not about setting signs of virtue.” Toronto police have not yet commented on the allegations made by the Twitter community.
One user even suggests using neutral pronouns, in English as “they” and “them”, and not referring to Degrace as a woman, but simply as a person. That would probably have avoided the confusion. Another added: “For those outraged, this woman is missing and may be in danger.”
After all, everything went smoothly: Isobella Degrace was found after a 9-hour search.
Jail for not using preferred pronouns?
In Canada, the C-16 bill, which explains the rights of gender identity, has been in force since 2017. This human rights law can, like «Daily Wire» explained, could be interpreted as meaning that failure to use a person’s preferred pronouns could be potentially punishable. These include but are not limited to mandatory sensitivity training, an apology, or other prohibitions.
Repeatedly refusing to use a person’s preferred pronouns could theoretically result in criminal penalties and even jail time, as Jared Brown, commercial attorney at Brown Litigation, opined at the time «CBC» explained. “Is it likely to happen? I do not believe that. But whether it’s likely or not, I think depends a lot on the case at hand.”