By Victoria Stuart

We often judge a nation by how well it treats its citizens, particularly those who face challenges or discrimination in their daily lives. Canadians are well-regarded internationally as being fair, tolerant, open-minded, and caring—individually and as a society. I am a male-to-female (MTF) transgender person, a transwoman living full-time with my loving wife of nearly 21 years. We are both tremendously proud to be Canadian and to live in a nation that values the basic human rights of its citizens, and the rights of those around the world.

I wish to take this opportunity to address our fellow British Columbians in advance of the May 12 general election. At first consideration, issues concerning transgender persons and gender identity may seem to be of little interest to most residents of B.C., but I know that many will agree that human rights are important to all of us. Transgender-related issues—and how they are addressed by our service providers and governmental agencies—provide some indication of how well the needs of all British Columbians are being served. My motivation, here, is to demystify transgender and gender-variant persons and to describe some of the issues that transpersons face, daily. It is also my desire that all of us be informed voters and elect a responsible government.

Although the distinctions sometimes blur, each of us is described by our biological (birth or natal) sex, our sexual orientation (straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual), and our gender identity (how we perceive ourselves as male, female, or somewhere in between). All of these characteristics, established in our brains during development in the womb, establish who we are as individuals. Most people would be surprised by the number (prevalence) of transgender and gender-variant persons among us. Estimates of gender-variant persons in our society range from one in 50 to approximately one in 100 persons. Somewhere between one in 500 and one in 1,000 persons is believed to be transgender.

When family, friends, and co-workers are included, transgender persons and issues possibly affect as many as one in 10 people, whether or not they are aware of this fact. For example, despite my being involved in the process of transitioning from male to female for more than two years—including hair removal, hormonal therapy, counseling, and speech lessons—none of my family or co-workers knew anything of my gender identity until I started living full-time as a female and identifying myself as MTF transgender.

For merely challenging society’s expectations of what is expected of males and females, transgender individuals are often misunderstood, feared, and the victims of discrimination. Compared to society in general, transgender and gender-variant individuals suffer higher rates of discrimination, unemployment, denial of services, rates of addictions and HIV, depression and suicide. Transpersons are too frequently the victims of verbal and physical attacks that can occur at any time and place, including the workplace. Each November 20, we commemorate transgender murder victims on the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based GLBT lobbying group, estimates that one in 12 transgender Americans face the probability of being murdered during their lifetime. In comparison, the average person in the U.S. has about a one in 18,000 chance of being murdered during their lifetime. Despite being generally well-educated, transpersons are disproportionately underemployed; most transpersons in B.C. live in poverty and have difficulty paying for the daily costs of living and health care. Studies consistently reveal that a majority of transsexuals have contemplated suicide at some point in their lives, with many attempting suicide at least once. Overall, suicide rates among the transgender and transsexual population are perhaps double those of non-transgender persons.

As a society we must remain vigilant and proactive as the basic rights and services provided to any of us can disappear overnight. This happened when same-sex marriage was recently overturned in November 2008 in California, and on April 7 when Alberta delisted (terminated) funding for gender reassignment surgery. GRS is recognized internationally by the medical community as being medically necessary, cost-saving, and a human rights issue. Suicide rates are significantly lower in transgender people who have had surgery than in those who have not had this surgery. The delisting of GRS by the Alberta government was a political decision enacted unilaterally without a thorough analysis, discussion or commentary from experts in the field and those directly affected by this decision. This failure to exercise “due diligence” has wreaked havoc with the lives of candidates for GRS, also impacting Alberta taxpayers who will absorb the legal costs as this decision is challenged in their courts.

Many of the comments posted in response to various newspaper reports covering the GRS delisting story in Alberta were homophobic and transphobic. An opinion expressed by many who commented was that transsexual individuals should fund their own surgeries. In fact, any transsexual person would gladly (and do in fact) give everything they own to be able to have their GRS and the opportunity to be happy, productive members of society. However, most people do not have the luxury or good fortune to obtain lucrative employment even under the best of circumstances. Candidates for GRS must “present” (live and work) in their preferred gender for one to two years as they transition, a requirement in preparation for GRS. Given the discrimination that they face, how can they reasonably be expected to pay for this surgery that is prohibitively expensive on a personal level but of minimal cost to the taxpayer (19 cents—one-fifth of a dollar—in Alberta)?

I’ve used the example of the recent delisting of funding for GRS in Alberta to alert us to the possibility of possible cuts or reductions in services here in B.C. Given our current economic challenges, any program is subject to closure. However, if implemented, these must occur only after a thorough consultation with all involved, with full consideration of the immediate and long-term impact.

At one time, the Vancouver Hospital had a Gender Clinic, which was closed in May 2002 when the newly-elected Liberal government led by Premier Gordon Campbell cut the funding for this facility, affecting transgender health care for hundreds—if not thousands—of B.C.’s transgender and transsexual individuals. In response, leaders in our community and our allies rallied to establish the Transgender Health Program (THP), administered by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Despite annual increases in requests from B.C. citizens asking for help, the THP remains chronically under-funded, under-staffed, and over-extended, subsisting on a budget of $115,000 per year (less than four cents per B.C. taxpayer per year) since 2003 to fund, staff, and serve the needs of transpersons and their families throughout B.C.

In addition to hosting transgender-aware health professionals, the Three Bridges clinic also serves marginalized community members, including those suffering addictions, and HIV/AIDS patients. As of March 2009, the Three Bridges clinic and the allied Raven Song Community Health Centre are no longer accepting new patients—trans or non-trans. Where are new patients in the catchment areas served by these clinics going to find and access this specialized health care? These restrictions are especially challenging to transpersons, as these two clinics provide by far the majority of the meager resources available for transgender health anywhere in B.C.

How our elected officials and service providers address issues affecting one group will suggest how they might be serving all of us regarding health care, poverty, employment, affordable housing, the environment, and other issues. As we prepare to vote, it’s imperative that we take the time to ask how our elected officials will serve and protect us. True leadership involves having the courage to take a leading role on issues that may not enjoy popular support. In my opinion, anyone who shows compassion and leadership in this regard would similarly protect our interests—generally—regarding societal issues that concern all of us.

Victoria Stuart is the chair of the Trans Alliance Society, which provides transgender support, education, outreach, and advocacy throughout B.C. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer, and are not intended to reflect the opinions of the society, its members, or allies.