“The surgery was necessary for me to live.”
Two Saskatchewan transgender persons have reached settlements with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health over access to gender affirmation surgery in the province and won financial compensation for expenses they were forced to pay. One person declined to be interviewed by Global News, but Gillian Walker is sharing their story.
Walker, a transgender, non-binary person, said they had to pay out of pocket to have a gender-affirming diagnosis and surgery.
“I would not be sitting in front of you had I not had the surgery,” Walker said in an interview with Global News. “It is that painful for someone who is transgender.”
Walker said it was their wish to have a mastectomy with chest reconstruction in 2015, a procedure only offered if an individual is diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“You can think of gender dysphoria as an insane dissonance between who you are in inside and the way that your body is represented to the world,” Walker explained.
At the time, gender dysphoria could only be diagnosed by two clinics in Canada, neither of which were in Saskatchewan.
Walker was placed on a two-year waiting list just for the diagnosis.
“I had a meltdown,” they said. “It drastically reduced my mental health.”
In 2016, Walker filed a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission over the inaccessibility of gender-affirmation surgeries for Saskatchewan residents.
“During that time, I actually went on anti-depressants because living in my body was unbearable,” Walker said.
A year later, Walker learned that the procedure was not offered in Saskatchewan and was impossible to get close to home.
“I’m working through this process and I’m trying to be as patient as possible and when we get to this conversation and mediation that says ‘hey, the needs of you as a transgender person are not covered by our healthcare’, there is my second meltdown,” Walker said.
They said that one of the main barriers that they faced, was trying to make the ministry understand the difference between cosmetic surgery and something that is medically necessary.
“The process has been exceptionally frustrating because every step that I have taken, I have been placed in the position of being an educator as well as an advocate.”
Because Walker’s surgery was not considered a necessary medical procedure by the ministry, it was not covered financially.
In 2017, Walker took matters into their own hands and spent over $10,000 travelling to Ontario to have the surgery at a clinic known for offering services to transgender people.
When Global News asked the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health why gender affirmation surgery isn’t accessible to everyone is Saskatchewan, it responded with a written statement saying residents need to discuss their options with their physician or primary-care provider.
“The Ministry of Health will be working to establish an internal advisory table/committee to provide guidance on transgender health issues going forward and work to improve communications. Individuals associated with the transgender community will be asked to be a part of this work,” the statement continued.
In response to details about Walker’s specific case, the ministry said it was unable to comment due to confidentiality laws.
In a media statement, Barry Wilcox, chief commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, said increasing access to gender affirmation surgeries is a step towards equality.
“The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018, support the rights of transgender people,” Wilcox said. “We know that transgender individuals face numerous obstacles when transitioning, including social stigma and institutional barriers. The cost associated with the surgical procedures, as well as restrictive health policies, can result in substantial barriers to obtaining necessary medical treatment.”
During the five years between Walker filing their complaint and an eventual settlement, Walker claimed the Human Rights Commission had trouble contacting the ministry regarding questions about the case investigation.
“It is my opinion that the ministry was not ready to answer some of those questions and that they did not want to be caught out in a position,” Walker said. “One of the driving factors that kept me going with this complaint after I had received treatment is that I don’t want anyone to ever be in the same position that I was.”
Walker said that during the five-year investigation, the ministry did make some small changes in the right direction.
The ministry has since brought forward an authority on gender dysphoria and placed them in the province to give diagnoses.
“I was exceptionally privileged where I could spend money to access these life-saving services but as far as the access and clarity of information being provided by the Ministry of Health, we are still not there yet,” Walker said. “Here I am six, seven years after my initial complaint and it feels like the process is still the same for transgender patients.”
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