Riders Against Gender Exclusion (RAGE) calls on SEPTA to eliminate the use of gender stickers immediately. We are a grassroots group of Philadelphians committed to ending SEPTA's use of (M/F) stickers on transpasses and trailpasses for the following reasons.
Many Philadelphians face harassment, economic hardship, and lack of access to public transportation due to this policy.
For example:
- People whose gender appearance doesn't fit expectations are questioned about the validity of their passes, forced to pay more expensive cash fares, or refused access to transportation. People who present as different genders at different times (for example, transgender people who are not out to coworkers, and so present differently when traveling to and from work than at other times) only sometimes look like the gender on their pass, and so face similar experiences on SEPTA.
- People who don't identify as male or female are forced to choose a sticker in order to ride SEPTA at the deeply discounted rate.
- SEPTA employees are required to become "gender police" as part of their job.
- All Philadelphians are forced to pay - through fares and taxes - for this wasteful, pointless, and discriminatory practice.
In addition:
- Using gender stickers does not prevent pass sharing.
- No other major metropolitan non-commuter transit system in the United States uses gender stickers. ("City to probe transit rider's gender ID complaint," Philadelphia Inquirer, p. B01, September 20, 2008) -There is an economic cost associated with using gender stickers. SEPTA is currently spending tax- and fare-payer money to defend the policy against a complaint filed with the Human Rights Commission.
- Ending the use of gender stickers would reduce costs and lines.
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