Torchlight

Gender Support Group

Call to Arms

We must fight the injustices being perpetuated by the Ontario Liberals!

The Honourable George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long Term Care for Ontario, has attempted to re-instate funding for sex reassignment surgery. The medical and psychological professions have concluded that sex reassignment surgery is medically necessary. Mr. Smitherman is to be congratulated and supported for attempting to right an injustice committed by the former Progressive Conservative governments (both under Ernie Eves and Mike Harris.) OHIP stopped funding sex reassignment surgeries, effective October 1, 1998. [1]

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has determined that Progressive Conservative government acted in a prejudicial manner when the government de-listed the sex reassignment surgery. [2]

However, "senior Liberals" have blocked the re-instatement, claiming that there is no money in the budget for sex re-assignment surgery. [3] The cost of the sex reassignment surgery cost OHIP an average of $150 000 per annum. Yet, there has been no reduction of the billions of dollars afforded to treat smoking-related illnesses. [4]

We must not allow the government to continue to discriminate against us!

If it does not need fixing, why break it?

Click here to open a template letter.

Do it NOW!

If you have grounds (and you do, trust me) for registering a human rights complaint against the government of Ontario for their mistreatment of you, a transsexual, then file the complaint! Don't delay! [8]

In your correspondences, make sure to cover the following points:

  1. Support the Honourable George Smitherman, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. [9]

  2. Support the re-instatement of all aspects of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s Standard of Care for the Treatment of Gender Identity Disorders. [10] This includes not only the sex reassignment surgery, but also the adjunctive therapies. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, electrolysis, Adam’s apple removal, voice training (or surgery), hysterectomies, breast surgeries, facial surgeries plus ALL other necessary treatments.

We need to stuff McGuinty’s office with letters and emails demanding that he reinstate full OHIP coverage for ALL aspects of care for Gender Identity Disorder. He needs to understand that his read of public opinion on this is decisively wrong.

ACT NOW!

Reply Letters Received

References:
[1] OHIP Bulletin 4330
[2] OHRC's Comment on prejudice in the delisting of surgery.
[3] London Free Press article on Liberal Denying Surgery
[4] Cost of smoking-related illnesses. (Canadian Cancer Society)
[5] Members in Current Parliament (Ontario),
[6] Government of Canada Contacts
[7] Contact information for Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
[8] The Complaint Process (Ontario Human Rights Commission)
[9] Contact information for the Honourable George Smitherman
[10]HBIGDA Standards Of Care

Cassie’s letter to the Honourable George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario)