October 18th, 2021
October 18th, 2021
TORONTO - NDP MPP Suze Morrison (Toronto Centre) will introduce her new bill, the Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Act, in the legislature Monday, to improve gender-affirming health care in Ontario.
“Two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex people continue to face significant challenges to accessing health care services that are friendly, competent, and affirming,” said Morrison. “Far too many are fighting, waiting, and still not getting the care they need.”
MPP Morrison’s bill would establish a committee tasked with making recommendations to the Minister of Health on ways to improve access to gender-affirming care and transition-related procedures in Ontario. The committee would be made up of members of the two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex communities with diverse lived experiences as well as health care providers.
"Stigma, discrimination, lengthy wait times, outright denial of care, exclusions of coverage and onerous referral requirements are some of the issues that make it difficult to access gender-affirming care and transition-related procedures in Ontario," Morrison said. "Timely access to care can have a substantial positive effect on an individual’s mental health and decrease suicidality and suicide attempts."
One in three trans, two-spirit and/or non-binary people had considered suicide in the past year, according to a 2020 Trans Pulse Canada Survey.
Morrison held a virtual press conference Monday to discuss the importance of her bill. She was joined by Stefanie Pest, a Trans activist and an Ontario NDP LGBTQ Committee co-chair; Susan Gapka, a Trans activist and founding member and chair of the Trans Lobby Group; Keith McCrady, Executive Director at 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations; and Heath V. Salaza, a performance artist and writer.
“For decades, Liberal and Conservative governments have been slow to respond to the calls from two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex communities and advocates to expand OHIP coverage and reduce barriers to accessing gender-affirming care," Morrison said. "Too many people are paying out of pocket or are waiting months to access care, putting lives at risk.
“Everyone deserves access to essential, lifesaving health care. The creation of a Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee is an important first step towards building a more inclusive and affirmative health care system in Ontario.”
The bill will be debated in the legislature on Tuesday.
Quotes
Stefanie Pest, Trans activist and Ontario NDP LGBTQ Committee co-chair:
“On behalf of myself, a proud transgender woman and my many trans and gender diverse siblings, I enthusiastically support MPP Suze Morrison’s introduction of this Gender Affirming Health Care Advisory Committee Bill.
It has been my dream to see transition-related healthcare made accessible to all those seeking to affirm their authentic gender and gender expression, since my own revelation that I was wrongly assigned my gender at birth. It will offer lifesaving medically necessary surgeries and procedures using our OHIP-covered healthcare system. This is vital, because most people in the trans and gender diverse community do not have the financial ability to pay out of pocket for transition related healthcare. I know in my heart that lives will be saved, and Ontario will become a leader in healthcare for the trans and gender diverse community in Canada and possibly abroad.”
Charlotte Keskinen-Keith, Trans Inclusion Project:
“There is a distinctive pain that the current two-tiered healthcare system causes, because as trans people we live each day knowing precisely how much less valued we are. We know the exact cost of the lifesaving surgeries we often can't afford. We know the exact cost of the medical debt we alone take on. We know exactly the number of years more we have to wait for medication everyone else can often get at a walk-in clinic.
We must create this advisory committee to bring healthcare for transgender Ontarians up to the standards every other citizen of Ontario enjoys. Otherwise, we will have to keep living our lives with an exact number as to how much less of an equal citizen we are.”
Lyra Evans, first openly trans school board trustee in Canada:
"Every year, the trans community loses people to suicide, deaths which could have been prevented with timely access to healthcare. This bill succeeds where many similar bills with similar goals do not. The explicit recognition that trans affirming care, such as FFS or electrolysis, are lifesaving procedures for trans people."
Heath V. Salazar, performance artist and writer:
"One of the greatest obstacles that I hear about when speaking to local community members is that gender-affirming healthcare isn’t accessible to them and therefore makes it impossible for a lot of people to have the option of coming out, let alone transitioning. A big question I often get asked is, 'Why is gender affirming healthcare so important?' And the answer to that is that it is lifesaving. I know that because I’ve seen it first-hand. This bill proposes an advisory committee whose impact has the potential to change people’s lives presently and for generations to come."
Susan Gapka, trans activist and founding member and chair of the Trans Lobby Group:
“The Trans Lobby Group was formed in 2001 to restore transition-related surgeries cut by the Progressive Conservative government in 1998. This current government has attacked trans communities by cutting sex education curriculum in schools, [attempting to grant] degree granting status to Canada Christian College’s transphobic and xenophobic leader Charles McVety and cutting important access to trans health and community services.
Wait times for referrals and access to trans affirming care and surgeries has dramatically increased, causing distress to those requiring these essential services. With the 21st anniversary of Trans Day of Remembrance coming up on November 20, we will commemorate the lives of those lost to violence and hatred by transphobia, and I will be reminded of the friends and coworkers I have personally lost. I urge all MPPs to adopt this legislation to help stop this senseless killing.”
Keith McCrady, Executive Director at 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations:
“2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations supports the vast community members who are a part of the greater 2-Spirit Community. This includes 2-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and intersex members. Our community requires access to safe and informed care that reduces harm and gives dignity and pride to their overall health.
Too many Indigenous & 2-Spirit folk, particularly youth, have had negative and harmful experiences due to the impacts of colonization about their own gender identities. I call on leadership and decision makers to support this bill, thinking of Truth and Reconciliation and the self-determination of Indigenous People.”