Dear Minister. My name is Jadzia Benntley and I write this to you on behalf of myself and many within the transgender community. Being born, growing up and living day to day as a transgender person is not a choice. Unfortunately many of us deal with gender dysphoria, a condition that causes much stress and discomfort. Often this results in severe anxiety, depression, and sometimes leads to self harm, mutilation and suicide. Add to this lower rates of social participation and inclusion and you have a relatively small part of our community carrying a very large burden. Current health services, including psychiatric care, counselling and medical transition (hormone replacement therapy) overseen by varying clinicians often don't go far enough for a person living with mismatched genitals and secondary sexual characteristics. Many people are forced to confront the previously mentioned issues on a daily basis and endure extreme discomfort and distress every time they take a shower, use the bathroom, or even doing something as simple as getting dressed in the morning, all things most people take for granted as being just a normal part of life. Some find it hard to have any sort of “normal” relationships and sexual relationships are a no go zone for many due to their extreme discomfort living with mismatched genitals and secondary sexual characteristics that do not match their gender. Gender realignment surgery (GRS), or gender corrective surgery (GCS), is more than just cosmetic surgery and has the potential to have a massive impact in the everyday lives of transgender people. Althought not immediatly thought of when GRS is mentioned mastectomy and male chest contouring for transgender males should also fall under the same banner. Right across the world GRS is highly regarded by medical professionals as potentially life saving surgery and fundamental to the ongoing health of those who seek it. Many transgender people can not currently and may in fact never find the financial means to pay for GRS, with costs often running into tens of thousands of dollars this is not surprising. Many people also face vilification, discrimination and abuse which can make it difficult to both find and sustain gainful employment, further damaging the prospects of attempting to self fund surgery. It should not be the case that in 2015, in a country that used to pride itself on its public health system that many feel driven to prostitution to pay for surgery, that individuals consider selling their own organs to fund surgery or in extreme cases are driven to attempt to perform necessary surgery on themselves because they can't afford it. The degree of desperation shown illustrates the scope of the problem. Sadly suicide is all to often the course of action that transgender people choose to take when faced with the prospect of a life in a body that is not complete. Suicide rates within the transgender community are at least fourteen times higher than the rest of the population in this country, this alone should be reason enough to act. We need a healthcare system that seeks to allow people to live normal, productive lives, we see it as a necessity to mend broken bones, replace joints and restore sight, all in the name of making an individual whole and well. The transgender community in this country is asking for nothing more than this, the same opportunity to be whole and well. I also believe it can be shown that the short term costs of providing GRS to transgender people will easily be offset by better mental health outcomes for individuals, leading to a decreased reliance on our already strained mental health services. Improved general health and well being as well as increased workforce participation could also be expected increasing tax revenue and lessening the impact on our social security system. We ask this government to provide the transgender community of Australia with what should be a basic human right for anybody, access to necessary health care. Let us live, work, marry and contribute to this society as the Men and Women that we are. Sincerely Jadzia Benntley