QUOTED: Avery Edison, on her time in a Toronto men’s prison

“I know that I made a huge mistake. I know that this whole terrible experience started with me breaking an agreement…I would apologize, if I knew who to apologize to, or if I thought it would mean anything.”

—British transgender comedian Avery Edison, in an essay written for Toronto website She Does the City. Edison was in the news last month after Pearson Airport immigration authorities sent her to a men’s prison for holding, despite the fact that her passport identifies her as a woman. In her essay, she accepts a remarkable amount of responsibility for her predicament, noting that the incident would never have happened had she not overstayed her visa during a previous stint in Toronto. She also makes the touching point that she loves Toronto, and Toronto deserves to be loved, despite the misgendering episode.