2023-09-26 04:00:00
No Quebec minor has undergone sex reassignment surgery in Quebec for at least three years, government data shows.
• Read also: CCP Congress: Conservatives once morest sex change among minors
The debate on sexual identity and the place of young trans people is raging across the country. In early September, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) endorsed a proposal to ban gender transitions among minors.
In Quebec, sex reassignment surgery has been on a constant rise among adults since 2009 (see other text below). However, no Quebec minor has undergone genital sex reassignment surgery since 2020 nor before 2016, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS). Data from 2016 to 2019 was not available at the time of publication.
“Serious and irreversible”
“Genital surgery is a serious and irreversible intervention which is part of a long process of monitoring gender dysphoria involving the minor patient and his family,” explains Marie-Claude Lacasse, spokesperson for the MSSS, by email. .
Before being operated on, young patients receive complete multidisciplinary follow-up for several years. 1% to 3% of the population identifies as trans or non-binary, according to global data. However, several recent studies show that they have a higher rate of psychological distress.
In this context, an “exceptional surgery” mechanism was recently put in place in Quebec.
“The process is very selective and aims to ensure the success of the surgery as well as the well-being of the patient, and only in cases where waiting until 16 or 18 years significantly compromises [son] well-being,” writes Mme Lacasse.
The MSSS specifies that before the age of 18, this surgery involves “many challenges”.
More difficult surgery
“As physical development is not complete, this leaves less room for maneuver to perform the surgery: the surgery becomes more difficult and the final result may be less satisfactory. »
Also, postoperative care requires great discipline that is sometimes difficult to obtain from a young patient whose maturity is not up to par, writes the MSSS.
Note that “less than five” adolescents aged 15 to 16 have undergone a mastectomy (breast removal) since 2020, according to the MSSS.
Furthermore, young trans people can take hormone blockers and then hormones. According to a Canadian study carried out in 2019 among 1,519 young trans and non-binary people, only 12% had used hormone blockers.
“It’s not the majority,” underlines Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, professor of social work at the University of Montreal and specialist in interventions with young transgender people. The young people who seek this care have well-established needs. […] For those who really need it, it has an extremely positive impact on mental health. »
Furthermore, the latter emphasizes that young people often take several years before obtaining help, and that delaying access harms their mental health.
Sexual reassignment on the rise in Quebec
More than 500 Quebec adults obtained gender reassignment last year in Quebec, a surgery that has been growing rapidly since it became free and which has “invaluable” value for trans people.
In 2022-2023, 503 patients underwent sex reassignment surgery in Quebec, show data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
In addition, 95 “former” patients went under the knife once more to undergo additional surgery. The total bill reached $6.8 million.
SEXUAL REASSIGNMENT SURGERIES IN QUEBEC
- 2022-2023 598 (503 new)
- 2021-2022 668 (532 new)
- 2020-2021 466 (381 new)
- 2019-2020 467 (393 new)
- 2018-2019 178 (155 new)
- 2017-2018 221 (162 new)
- 2016-2017 237 (178 new)
- 2015-2016 237 (128 new)
- 2014-2015 162 (98 new)
- 2013-2014 169 (149 new)
- 2012-2013 117 (108 new)
- 2011-2012 109 (102 new)
- 2010-2011 67 (60 new)
- 2009-2010 16 (16 new)
Source : MSSS
Like an investment
“These surgeries provide invaluable well-being and allow you to move on in your life,” assures Victoria Legault, general director of the organization Aide aux trans du Québec (ATQ). It opens doors, these people are more productive and bring more to society. I really see it as an investment. »
Victoria Legault, general director of the organization Aide aux trans du Québec (ATQ)
Courtesy (ATQ)
Sex reassignment surgery has been covered by the Régie d’assurance- santé du Québec (RAMQ) since 2009. All patients are operated on in a specialized clinic in Montreal (which is not named for safety reasons).
For 14 years, the number of Quebecers who have undergone this operation has increased significantly. In 2009-2010, only 16 people used it.
According to Mme Legault, the wait to access surgery is at least a year, in addition to the complex medical process to follow.
“It’s a very rigorous process to gain access to it, it’s not the free for all “, she assures.
” Under the projectors ”
Furthermore, the ATQ deplores the current debate surrounding trans people in Quebec.
“It’s special to find ourselves in the media coverage of our existence. […] There are such important topics right now. […] We are in the spotlight even though that is not what we want,” laments Mme Legault.
“Completely false information is being spread,” she adds.
Please note that hormone therapy is also covered by RAMQ. However, all related cosmetic surgeries (breast prostheses, rhinoplasty, laser) are not reimbursed.
STEPS TO UNDERGO SEXUAL REASSIGNMENT
- The person must have gender identity disorder (gender dysphoria)
- Two health professionals (psychiatrist, psychologist, sexologist) must confirm this condition and write an assessment letter.
- The patient must submit his request with his two letters of evaluation and two other letters of recommendation: from an endocrinologist and also from a plastic surgeon.
- He must also have carried out a health check-up
Source : MSSS
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