British trans woman Avery Edison will finally be released to fly home on Feb 13, it was decided at a Feb 12 hearing.
Edison was detained on arriving in Toronto Feb 10 because of a prior visa violation. She posted updates to Twitter during the evening about her detention and the humiliating treatment she received from border security, which sparked the #FreeAvery campaign. Officials initially sent Edison to the Maplehurst men’s correctional facility before transferring her to the Vanier women’s facility.
Romy Sugden, Edison’s girlfriend, says that the decision will bring Edison’s nightmare to an end. “I know Avery’s happy; in terms of what could happen, this is the best-case scenario,” Sugden says. “There is no exclusionary notice on her file, so she potentially can return to Canada some day.”
Sugden hasn’t been allowed to see Edison since Feb 11 but is looking forward to seeing her at the airport before she leaves.
“I don’t know for how long and I know it will be supervised. Just being able to see her is fantastic,” she says. “Once she’s back in the UK, we’re going to see what we need to do for her to come back here or for me to go there.”
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