New Albertan transgender organization to appear at regional Pride events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 10, 2009 – EDMONTON and LETHBRIDGE
New Albertan transgender organization to appear at regional Pride events
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The Trans Equality Society of Alberta (TESA) is a newly-formed non-profit society created to respond to issues such as the recent delisting of Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS). TESA was formed by trans advocates working together throughout rural and urban Alberta.
TESA will be gathering with members of the trans community at large to attend regional events for Pride Week 2009, voicing concerns about these many issues and reminding Albertans that the GRS controversy is still unresolved.
TESA's mandate includes:
Despite a promise from the Minister of Health to ensure that consultations will be done to ensure that funding cuts will not affect medically-necessary procedures, there is still no sign of any such consultation regarding GRS.
"There has been a definite shift in policy," says organizer Mercedes Allen. "We're seeing that clergy are becoming the experts of choice with regards to health care, Aboriginal communities and even the environmental impact of oil sands development, so it should be no surprise that certain communities disfavoured by clergy would find themselves under siege."
In a brief two-month span, trans-identified people had access to GRS funding cut, began to experience adverse impacts in the education system from the creation of the so-called “parental rights” provision within Bill 44, and an amendment to the provincial human rights legislation that would have added "gender identity" to specific areas of protection from discrimination tabled on May 26 by Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman overwhelmingly defeated by the Conservatives.
Pride Week is a fitting debut for a new organization charged with advocating for trans-related issues. Pride celebrations traditionally take place during the month of June to commemorate an event at the Stonewall Inn in New York, which sparked gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy.
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New Albertan transgender organization to appear at regional Pride events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Trans Equality Society of Alberta (TESA) is a newly-formed non-profit society created to respond to issues such as the recent delisting of Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS). TESA was formed by trans advocates working together throughout rural and urban Alberta.
TESA will be gathering with members of the trans community at large to attend regional events for Pride Week 2009, voicing concerns about these many issues and reminding Albertans that the GRS controversy is still unresolved.
TESA's mandate includes:
- working toward the reinstatement of GRS funding for trans-identified patients
- advocating and educating on identification and citizenship issues, and
- educating on other trans-needs such as explicit inclusion in human rights legislation.
Despite a promise from the Minister of Health to ensure that consultations will be done to ensure that funding cuts will not affect medically-necessary procedures, there is still no sign of any such consultation regarding GRS.
"There has been a definite shift in policy," says organizer Mercedes Allen. "We're seeing that clergy are becoming the experts of choice with regards to health care, Aboriginal communities and even the environmental impact of oil sands development, so it should be no surprise that certain communities disfavoured by clergy would find themselves under siege."
In a brief two-month span, trans-identified people had access to GRS funding cut, began to experience adverse impacts in the education system from the creation of the so-called “parental rights” provision within Bill 44, and an amendment to the provincial human rights legislation that would have added "gender identity" to specific areas of protection from discrimination tabled on May 26 by Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman overwhelmingly defeated by the Conservatives.
Pride Week is a fitting debut for a new organization charged with advocating for trans-related issues. Pride celebrations traditionally take place during the month of June to commemorate an event at the Stonewall Inn in New York, which sparked gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy.
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