 Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter have stated publicly that their collective members are themselves survivors of male violence against women, ex-callers calling the line, ex-residents who lived at the shelter, and survivors of prostitution.In August 1995 Kimberly Nixon, a trans woman, filed a complaint against the shelter with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal after being turned down for a place on its training programme for volunteer counselors.Nixon argued that this constituted illegal discrimination under Section 41 of the British Columbia Human Rights Code.