A police department is refusing to confirm the biological sex of an alleged child sex abuser, telling The Daily Wire the information is “irrelevant” and instead is relating the suspect’s gender identity and preferred pronouns.
Police have suggested the suspect in question, 33-year-old Ruby Eby, has sexually abused others, in addition to the six-year-old child Eby allegedly abused in a Toronto park two months ago.
Eby allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old boy at Walter Saunders Park on Thursday, May 20, 2021, said a press release from the Toronto Police Service, issued Tuesday.
Following an investigation from members of the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, Eby was arrested and charged with sexual interference with a person under the age of 16 and sexual assault.
“She is next scheduled to appear in court, at 1000 Finch Avenue West, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at 2 p.m., in room 301,” the press release added. “Investigators believe there may be other victims.”
News media in Canada picked up on the arrest and reported on Eby, referring to the suspect as a “woman” and using female pronouns, in accordance with the police department.
However, folks online commented on the mugshot of Eby, questioning the suspect’s biological sex in relation to media reports.
Toronto Police Department
"A woman." https://t.co/uxmRLuTRYC
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) July 14, 2021
The Daily Wire reached out to the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to get confirmation on the biological sex of the suspect, particularly since the department noted that it believes Eby might have victimized others. In response, the department told The Daily Wire that the sex of the suspect is “irrelevant” and offered only Eby’s gender identity and preferred pronouns.
In the initial email to the department sent Wednesday, The Daily Wire noted that the department’s press release refers to the suspect as a “she,” then asked why the department had not specified the suspect’s biological sex.
“As per the press release, the pronoun used is She, Ruby identifies as a woman,” Toronto Police Service’s Jenifferjit Sidhu told The Daily Wire.
In a follow-up email, The Daily Wire asked the department to confirm Ruby’s biological sex and to “please indicate if the suspect was booked in a male or female facility.”
Toronto Police Service’s Meaghan Gray replied (emphasis added):
Your question, and the answer, are irrelevant to our investigation. Our focus is on the sexual assault of a child and identifying any additional victims. The best way to do that is to share information with the public that would assist them with recognizing the person involved, such as a name and photograph. In this case, this person identifies as a woman, named Ruby, using the pronouns she/her. It is our practice to use the names and pronouns with which a person identifies, and to use a photograph that most closely resembles their current likeness. That was done in this case.
Ruby is not in custody. She was released pending her next court appearance.
Thursday morning, The Daily Wire sent a follow-up email seeking clarity on the department’s position regarding suspects’ biological sex and communication to the public:
Thank you, Meaghan. Does the police department believe it’s “irrelevant” to accurately state the sex of the suspect who is accused of sexually abusing a child?
If there are more victims, is sex of the alleged offender not relevant in uncovering other vicitms? Suspects’ identifying features matter, correct — particularly when the suspect might identify as a woman but looks very much like the biological male he is, as is the case with Mr. Eby?
The Daily Wire has yet to receive a response back but will update readers if we do.