Trans woman says Manitoba Health won't say whether they'll cover gender-affirming surgery

A transgender woman in Manitoba says the province has been ignoring her requests regarding a follow-up facial feminization surgery she needs to live a normal life. 

The woman, who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, had facial feminization surgeries last April after successfully appealing the province's refusal to pay for it. 

She says her surgeon has recommended follow-up surgery to correct some of the work that did not take, as her original surgeries involved bone and soft tissue work. 

She stressed that the follow-up procedures are not cosmetic but are crucial to treating her dysphoria. A referral from her surgeon was sent to Manitoba Health in November 2022. 

But nearly a year later, the woman says she's yet to get an answer from the province regarding coverage despite numerous attempts to get in touch with someone. 

The woman, whom CBC is not naming due to concerns for her safety, said this leaves her in limbo. 

"So I'm at a standstill waiting for Manitoba Health to respond, and I'm being held hostage by this process." 

While waiting for an answer, the woman says she's been living with extreme distress due to the impacts of her dysphoria and inability to get the gender affirming care she needs. 

"It causes me severe anxiety, depression, and distress. I don't want to go out," she said. 

"I want to feel normal. I want to be a productive member of society … and without this procedure I'm unable to do that."

Because these surgeries can cost tens of thousands of dollars, the woman says she can't afford to pay for them on her own. 

Though she lost her first appeal of Manitoba Health's decision not cover them in 2019, she won her second appeal in 2021. 

A copy of the decision from the Manitoba Health Appeal Board says the woman testified that her dysphoria is focused mainly on what her face looks like and causes her great anxiety and makes her fear for her physical safety.

The woman saw medical and psychological professionals who recommended she get facial feminization surgeries, which the decision describes as a highly specialized gender-affirming procedure offered by few clinics and doctors across Canada.