Tweet
www.tgirlnews.com
At long last, I finally finished and published my recent SRS article. Check it out:
Read the rest of the article at http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/hom.../11/02457.html
Comments and feedback are appreciated, and thanks to everyone for your continued support.
At long last, I finally finished and published my recent SRS article. Check it out:
The Pyrrhic Victory of OHIP-funded Sex Reassignment Surgery
An open letter to George Smitherman and David Caplan
by Nikki S., Transgender Columnist
Like others in the trans community, I was pleased to hear that the Liberal government had taken the bold step of re-listing Sex Reassignment Surgery (also known as SRS, GRS, or simply, “the operation”) under the list of OHIP-provided services. When it was removed in 1998, it caused a great deal of hardship to many people.
There’s no question that, for some, SRS is a medical necessity. For those with severe gender dysphoria, SRS is the only cure. No amount of psychotherapy or hormone treatment will alleviate the pain of being disgusted with a major aspect of one’s own body. For those who suffer the most, surgery is the only option, and without access to quality services and medical care, some people choose to undergo this procedure however possible – often with devastating consequences and horrifying results.
It should also be noted that not every person identifying as “trans” desires, or intends to undergo, Sex Reassignment Surgery. It’s a personal decision that each person must make for themsel ves, and I also believe that a significant period of living in one’s identified gender, combined with hormone therapy, should be part of the education process for anyone who desires SRS. This process is necessary to determine one’s comfort with their new gender role, and to see how the body reacts to the physical and psychological changes brought about by cross-gender hormones. SRS, for male-to-female transsexuals, removes the main producers of testosterone, which leads to major changes in one’s physiology, emotional state, and perception of the world. It’s something that a potential SRS patient needs to be aware of, in order to make an informed decision.
However, after someone has chosen to live permanently in their identified gender, has undergone hormone therapy, and has been properly educated on the limitations and potential complications associated with SRS, the decision should ultimately by up to the individual. As long as they can demonstrate an understanding of what the procedure can and cannot do for them, they should have the opportunity to make this medical decision for themsel ves. The real tragedy behind re-listing SRS under OHIP is that decision is not in the hands of the individual – it has been placed back in the hands of the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic.
It is not my place to dig up old graves, and re-examine the horrors and despair that this branch of CAMH has wrought upon our community. The cases are well-documented, and are well known to those who have been subjected to their “reparative therapy” over the years. Of particular notoriety is the Child and Adolescent Gender Identity Clinic, which has brought untold pain to children and adolescents who exhibited behaviours not normally associated with their gender. This is not the place where we want decisions about our lives being made for us.
An open letter to George Smitherman and David Caplan
by Nikki S., Transgender Columnist
Like others in the trans community, I was pleased to hear that the Liberal government had taken the bold step of re-listing Sex Reassignment Surgery (also known as SRS, GRS, or simply, “the operation”) under the list of OHIP-provided services. When it was removed in 1998, it caused a great deal of hardship to many people.
There’s no question that, for some, SRS is a medical necessity. For those with severe gender dysphoria, SRS is the only cure. No amount of psychotherapy or hormone treatment will alleviate the pain of being disgusted with a major aspect of one’s own body. For those who suffer the most, surgery is the only option, and without access to quality services and medical care, some people choose to undergo this procedure however possible – often with devastating consequences and horrifying results.
It should also be noted that not every person identifying as “trans” desires, or intends to undergo, Sex Reassignment Surgery. It’s a personal decision that each person must make for themsel ves, and I also believe that a significant period of living in one’s identified gender, combined with hormone therapy, should be part of the education process for anyone who desires SRS. This process is necessary to determine one’s comfort with their new gender role, and to see how the body reacts to the physical and psychological changes brought about by cross-gender hormones. SRS, for male-to-female transsexuals, removes the main producers of testosterone, which leads to major changes in one’s physiology, emotional state, and perception of the world. It’s something that a potential SRS patient needs to be aware of, in order to make an informed decision.
However, after someone has chosen to live permanently in their identified gender, has undergone hormone therapy, and has been properly educated on the limitations and potential complications associated with SRS, the decision should ultimately by up to the individual. As long as they can demonstrate an understanding of what the procedure can and cannot do for them, they should have the opportunity to make this medical decision for themsel ves. The real tragedy behind re-listing SRS under OHIP is that decision is not in the hands of the individual – it has been placed back in the hands of the CAMH Gender Identity Clinic.
It is not my place to dig up old graves, and re-examine the horrors and despair that this branch of CAMH has wrought upon our community. The cases are well-documented, and are well known to those who have been subjected to their “reparative therapy” over the years. Of particular notoriety is the Child and Adolescent Gender Identity Clinic, which has brought untold pain to children and adolescents who exhibited behaviours not normally associated with their gender. This is not the place where we want decisions about our lives being made for us.
Comments and feedback are appreciated, and thanks to everyone for your continued support.
lol
,
u r so articulate Nikki..
urrassic Clarke!)I believe their mandate is a little primitive on the way they treat and have treated the trans community>This is a few steps back before we can say that we have moved forward> I too was a patient of Clarke and a friend of mine who wrote an interesting article about her experience with Clarke(lesley carter) who i consider to be mother theresa in my books.She really helped and guided me to overcome an obstacle in my life.Here is the link 
_______________
Comment