Foster Sex Change

July 4, 2015 permalink

When a foster girl wanted to become a boy, Durham CAS turned her into Brandon Fiedler.

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Durham Children’s Aid Society using anti-oppressive practice

New approach to child welfare to be more inclusive of diversity of local families

Brandon Fiedler OSHAWA -- Brandon Fiedler was born a female but is now legally a male. He is the first person in the care of Durham Children's Aid Society to have his gender and name legally changed. June 3, 2015

Jason Liebregts / Metroland

Jun 18, 2015, Pickering News Advertiser, By Kristen Calis

DURHAM -- Brandon Fiedler was born a girl but never felt right wearing dresses or pigtails.

As a result, Brandon started lashing out at a young age.

“Since I was in like Grade 2, I really started dressing like a male. I got my hair cut. I was just always into the guy things. I played hockey and soccer for a bit,” he said. “I thought it was impossible to truly be myself because I never heard the term transgender.”

When Brandon was in Grade 7 or 8, the Durham Children’s Aid Society started to get involved in his life, and went to his school an a number of occasions because of his behaviour problems. He eventually started living in group homes.

Since then, he’s grown leaps and bounds. He is the first youth to have his name and gender legally changed while in CAS care.

“It’s changed my life. I’m actually me now,” he said.

Mr. Fiedler was at the public launch of the Durham CAS Anti-Oppressive Practice on June 2.

Challenging the impacts of power and privilege, eliminating barriers for individuals and families, and ensuring that services are inclusive of the broad range of diversity in Durham Region, are the fundamental principles behind AOP.

Community members heard stories from former CAS youth who have experienced oppression in their lives, and witnessed the unveiling of the new “Living Wall” -- an artistic expression of anti-oppression.

Durham CAS executive director Wanda Secord said the adoption of AOP principles is changing the way CAS engages with families. She said CAS must understand how the child welfare system impacts families, particularly marginalized individuals, and minoritized communities.

“It is important that those children, youth and families who are most impacted by child welfare have the opportunity to influence or change the system so that the power imbalance is corrected across the board for everyone,” she said.

She said expanding partnerships with more diverse organizations and doing everything possible to keep children in their own communities are some of the ways to improve outcomes.

“The idea is to reach out to groups that we don’t know a lot about and who may not know a lot about the Children’s Aid Society, as well to build an understanding and awareness of one another,” said Ms. Secord in an interview.

Mr. Fiedler said he’s happy about the AOP, but has seen his share of ups and downs in the organization. At one point, he lived in 11 homes in one year.

However, his life changed for the better when from 2011 to 2013, he lived at Iris House in Oshawa.

“It was more like an independent house and the staff actually cared about the kids there,” he said. “Whenever I was down, they were there for me.”

He’s now out of CAS care, and maintains a good relationship with his own family.

Because of some of the challenges he’s experienced with CAS, and because some of the others he grew up with haven’t had the successful outcome he has, he is skeptical of the new approach.

“I think it’s really good that they’re trying to start it,” he said. “I’m afraid they’re just doing this and they’re going to want to give up on it again. They’ve said before they’re going to change many things.”

Ms. Secord said the organization has taken a number of steps, starting with hiring an internal anti-oppressive expert, and has developed a comprehensive infrastructure within staff based on committee and program development.

She said CAS is educating and increasing awareness of all of its staff and supervisors within the organization about what the issues are and how it can improve the practice.

“It is going to take commitment absolutely, commit and people just continuing to learn and reach out to communities and learn what else is out there to help families,” she said. “We can’t just take a cookie-cutter approach to child welfare.”

Mr. Fiedler is going to remain hopeful.

“Hopefully this is the start to something new,” he said.

Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard, an internationally recognized AOP expert and advocate, spoke at the launch after Mr. Fiedler and another CAS youth, who has overcome racism in the community. Dr. Bernard said she had mixed emotions -- saddened by what they went through, but pleased with their progress.

“But still they rise, still they keep going,” she said.

A social worker for 40 years, Dr. Bernard says she’s been praying for this sort of institutional change her entire career.

“You’re one of the few in Canada that has this specific, bold statement,” she said of the approach, which CAS has been working on for about three years.

Kristen Calis covers Pickering and writes a pet column for the Metroland Media Group’s Durham Region Division. Anyone with upcoming animal charity events that they would like listed in Kristen’s Kritters can e-mail kcalis@durhamregion.com.

Source: Metroland/Durham Region