The eyes are the window to the soul and the face is the window to one's gender.

Faces contain secondary sex characteristics that make male and female faces readily distinguishable, including the shape of the forehead, nose, lips, cheeks, chin, and jawline. For some transgender people these characteristics cause gender dysphoria, the distress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth.

Transgender persons with gender dysphoria are at increased risk for stress, isolation, anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 82 percent of respondents reported ever seriously thinking about suicide in their lifetimes. In regard to suicide attempts, 40 percent reported attempting suicide at some point in their lifetimes.

Facial surgery and hair removal help treat gender dysphoria and it will help save lives. Some may say that these procedures are cosmetic. According to the American Psychiatric Association, “[Gender dysphoria] causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.” Surgical intervention can be necessary to alleviate that dysphoria and improve the mental health of a trans-identifying, two-spirit or non-binary person. 

Out-of-pocket costs for facial surgery can vary greatly, from a few to tens of thousands of dollars or more depending on the type of procedures required. According to a Trans Pulse Canada survey, half of respondents aged 25 or more had a personal income of less than $30,000/year, and 40% were living in a low-income household. Transgender people will often go into debt in order to fund facial surgeries and hair removal while others can't afford it at all. Being comfortable in one's skin and feeling safe is a right for all; it shouldn't only be for those who can afford it.

On April 12, 2021 the Yukon government announced a new policy to expand health care insurance coverage to include a comprehensive list of surgeries and other procedures identified by the transgender and gender diverse community. The procedures align with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s internationally recognized standards of care that support individuals for gender transition.

The B.C. government should follow the lead of the Yukon Government and the advice of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care and fund facial surgeries and hair removal for transgender people. 

Thank you for your support!

Resources:

About me: I am a transgender woman and I experience dysphoria. I am a person who avoids certain public spaces, has been outed, experiences a great deal of anxiety when in public, and was nearly a suicide statistic.

According to the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, an estimated 75,000, or 0.24%, of Canadians aged 15 and older said that they were transgender.

https://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports​

https://transpulsecanada.ca/results/report-1/​

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200909/dq200909a-eng.htm​

https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2021​

https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans-queer-identified-people-and-mental-health/​

https://yukon.ca/en/news/new-health-care-policy-supports-transgender-community​

https://www.wpath.org/​

https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Gender-Dysphoria.pdf