News & Views

A few days ago I received this  email in response to a post made by Calvin Neufeld over a year ago. Edwina has given me permission to post it here.  Thanks Edwina for writing and for adding to the discussion.

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While searching for information about transexuals' life expectancy, I came across a post started by Calvin Neufeld on the messageboard of www.westhill.net

This is the post:-
http://www.westhill.net/news-a-views/Life-Expectancy-of-Transsexuals.html

As he made a public presentation at Westhill, I would like to make a modification to his point that treated transexuals are still likely to have a lower life span than the general population, but I'm not a registered user, so I can't reply to the post.

I was an observer when my transgender consultant testified at a General Medical Council hearing in the UK in early 2007. He said that Male-to-Female transexuals "in theory lives 5 to 7 years longer".

Later, I asked my own doctor about this, and he said it is not sure whether it is the life style or the estrogen hormone (or both) that contribute to this extended life expectancy. I also asked about cancer risk, and he said that prostate cancer is a testosterone disease.

Hence, there is a clear advantage for Male-to-Female transexuals to receive hormone treatment.

Transexuals have a very high suicide rate which varies according to the depth of the transexuality and the discord this causes, so acceptance by society is very helpful in making life worth living for transexuals.

Yours sincerely,

(M-t-F transexual and Mathematics/Computer Science graduate)

Edwina Lee

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After claiming that the absence, in the publication of the new study guide for immigrants, of reference to Canadian equality rights as they pertain to gays and lesbians was the result of an oversight , homophobic Immigration minister, Jason Kenney, is found to have personally wielded the red marker that struck sections on gay equality and marriage from early drafts.

More from The Globe and Mail

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This amazing buyers guide will help you determine whether the companies you support also support the people you support.  Put together by the Human Rights Campaign foundation in the States, an organization working toward achieving and maintaining rights for LGBTQ people across some of the most homophobic regions in North America, the guide indicates that despite tragic choices on the part of state legislatures, a very positive response to equality has been seen throughout the business sector.  But it's interesting to know that BestBuy scores 100% on the Corporate Equality Index whereas RadioShack only scores 40%.  Or that Dell is another shining example of support for the LGBTQ community, but Acer slumps way back at 58% on the CEI.

Take a look at the Buyer's Guide and make your choices as positive as possible.

The Human Rights Campaign Buyers Guide for 2010

Here's the criteria used to make the assessements, HRC's Corporate Equality Index

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"I understand what LGBT means.  But does that Q really mean queer? "

Well, it stands for queer/questioning. The meaning of the word queer has morphed over the 20th century and, up until about 20 years ago, had been a derisive term.  But much can change in 20 years!  It has now been reclaimed by the LGBT community and others as a term of empowerment, strength and identity.  And that is the way in which we use it at West Hill when we refer to LGBTQ.

The variety of sexual expressions are complex! The term LGBTQ attempts in some small way to encompass that range of sexual diversity.  While technically, it stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, it is simply a way to talk about non-heterosexual people in a positive and affirming way.

Wikipedia:

In modern usage, the term LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of 'sexuality and gender identity‐based cultures' and is sometimes used to refer to anyone who is non‐heterosexual instead of exclusively to people who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for queer and questioning." -- Wikipedia

For more resources click on the affirm or LGBT tags on the right.  

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Come and celebrate with us on December 6, 2009 as we join Affirm United, S'affirmer ensemble!

Affirm United, S'affirmer ensemble is a ministry within the United Church of Canada and works to include gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people in the church and in society.

The Honourable George Smitherman, former Deputy Premier and Ontario's first openly gay Member of Parliament is our guest speaker.

Gathering at 10:00 a.m
Service of celebration at 10:30 a.m.
A light lunch will follow the service.

Check out our Affirming Celebration event on Facebook where you can add your congratulations to our wall or let us know you'll be there. 

See you then! You won't want to miss this very special service.

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At the June annual congregational meeting, we voted unanimously become an affirming ministry within the United Church of Canada. 

Our request was sent to Affirm United and in early September, we received word that our request had been approved!  

The final step is to have a special service of celebration, which we've set for Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 10:30am.  Marked with special music, poignant readings, and a thoughtful message, you won't want to miss this important day in the life of West Hill.

Mark your calendars now and watch this space and the WHU calendar for updates.  It's going to be a blast!

 

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Every year, a contingent of churches, along with several United Churches, march in the Toronto Pride Parade.  Metropolitan United Church has been putting a float together for years and invites other United Churches in Toronto to be part of the fun by marching with them.  The only stipulation is . . . ya gotta put in the time, in order to shine.  That is, you need to help construct the float at least once (usually on a Saturday morning).

I took part in this a few years ago and it was a total blast!  And marching in the parade was an awesome experience. 

The minister at Metropolitan, John Joseph Mastandrea, has again invited  West Hill to be part of it all.  Unfortunately, I don't have the time this year to be able to commit to this personally, however, I would invite anyone or any group at West Hill to be part of this fun opportunity. 

The first meeting is this Saturday, April 18th, 9:30 am at Metropolitan United.  If you and your friends have an interest in this, want to take part, or just want more information, please contact me.  I can be reached through this website or email me at dana@westhill.net

Talk to you soon!

 

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(This is part of a series of posts in answer to questions asked by people at West Hill when I spoke on Feb 22nd.)

Can you offer any advice on how we can show our acceptance in our behavior – as well as how we can learn more & share more?

In my experience, the most effective way that people can show acceptance of transsexuals is to be respectful of their self-declared gender identity. Think about how you would behave toward a trans woman who looks like a football player but feels like Audrey Hepburn inside. Treating people according to who they are inside is a lesson we are taught from a very young age (“don’t judge a book by its cover”), and that rule applies here too. If you’re not sure what behavior is appropriate, my recommendation would be to simply act naturally. Nothing makes a person more uncomfortable than to sense that they make others so. If you really think of transsexuality as no big whup, chances are that’s the message your behavior will communicate. We all make mistakes, we all slip on pronouns, we all find ourselves surprised from time to time. Having a genuine desire to be affirming and respectful is more important than getting your behaviors just right.

If you want to learn more about sexual and gender diversity, I would recommend the book Omnigender by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott.

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What specifically were you referring to when you mentioned the CAMH fears – and how might we help make the assessment a more safe, respectful experience?

The except below is from a blog entry I wrote last year called “CAMH or Jurassic Clarke?”:

In his May 15, 2008 announcement of plans to restore provincial funding for sexual reassignment surgery, Ontario Minister of Health George Smitherman has indicated that transsexuals will once again to be forced to undergo a lengthy and strenuous approval process at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto in order to access health care under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. While the transsexual community is delighted that coverage will be restored for a few people each year, it is a bittersweet victory for those who are familiar with the tainted reputation of CAMH.

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What organization other than CAMH would be more acceptable and appropriate? Medical alone (Toronto General Hospital, for instance) is not enough; who can do the mental?

At the time of reinstating provincial coverage for sexual reassignment surgery (SRS), the directive from the Minister of Health was that CAMH and Sherbourne Health Centre in Toronto were to work together to create an effective model to implement how trans candidates in Ontario were to be assessed for Gender Identity Disorder and recommended for SRS. This means that CAMH can no longer be the sole gatekeeper for all trans Ontarians. However, it remains unclear exactly how this multiple assessor model will play out. We also have the Trans Health Lobby Group, The Rainbow Health Network, and Rainbow Health Ontario closely monitoring the progress and seeking to ensure that the voices of trans people are heard as a new model for care is developed.

Sherbourne Health Centre provides innovative primary health care, counseling, support, outreach, health promotion, and education programs in Toronto, with particular focus on the LGBT community. It is trusted and respected by the LGBT community, but their services are limited to a specific geographic region of Toronto and therefore remain inaccessible to trans people in the rest of Ontario and Canada.

Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) is a province-wide program that works to improve the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Ontario through education, research, outreach and public policy. Their mission is to improve access to services and to promote the health of Ontario’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities. They have launched an LGBT Provider Directory featuring free listings of programs and services as well as individual service providers that have expressed a commitment to providing competent and welcoming care to LGBT people in Ontario. It is designed to facilitate and improve access to LGBT health and social services in Ontario by providing a central source of information. This is a good way to improve access to knowledgeable and competent mental and medical care for transsexuals across the province.

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