In this extremely heteronormative and cis-gendered world, it can be difficult - and often dangerous - to dare to portray anything other than what society expects from you, from your choice in hobbies right down to your gender. Transgender people are among the most marginalized and discriminated minority groups in Canada and the United States. Luckily, in
Toronto, there are a variety of health care clinics for those who wish to explore their gender identity and expression in a safe way.
Located near downtown Toronto, Sherbourne Health Centre offers a comprehensive range of healthcare programs and services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited, intersex, queer or questioning people. They aim to help their patients and clients feel and cope better with everyday challenges and address health issues specific to
LGBTQ individuals in a non-judgmental and dignified way. Their services include:
Counselling [1]. Sherbourne offers high-quality and confidential counselling by trained professionals—many of whom identify as LGBTQ or are LGBTQ positive—who can help with issues such as: support for those who are coming out; childhood and adult experiences of violence; substance use and addiction; and issues related to depression or relationships. Sherbourne also offers counselling for LGBTQ people who are new to Canada.
Supporting Our Youth (SOY)
[2]. Sherbourne’s SOY program aims to provide LGBTQ youth a welcoming and supportive environment to connect with individuals and resources to find practical solutions to issues. SOY programs and activities include: social, cultural and recreational activities, supportive housing and employment support.
Sherbourne’s services are free for those who have an Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) unless otherwise stated; they ask that patients bring this card to every visit. The address of center is 333 Sherbourne Street,
Toronto
The Transgender Youth Clinic (TYC) was created in October 2013 at SickKids to support and deliver medical care for transgender and gender-questioning adolescents (under 18 years). Their team consists of professionals from adolescent medicine and endocrinology departments, as well as social workers. The TYC works with community partners to ensure to provide proper care and information for both transitioning and transgender patients, as well as their families. The clinic also provides training for other healthcare professionals
[3]. If patients wish to seek treatment, referrals to the TYC should come from a primary healthcare provider, such as a family doctor, or online
[4].
The Transgender Youth Clinic webpage also contains links to helpful resources such as: PFLAG Canada
[5], a nationwide organization that helps Canadians with issues of gender identity and expression, and Rainbow Health
[6], which assists in improving the lives of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people.
CAMH’s services are for those aged eighteen and over who wish to explore issues related to gender identity and expression. Like Sherbourne, CAMH also offers mental health assessments, as well as support and referrals for transition-related surgeries. While CAMH used to be the only clinic that could assess and refer people for surgery, this is no longer the case. CAMH also offers assessments for
hormone treatments [7]. You are welcome to visit one of the
multiple locations of CAMH in Toronto.
All in all, whether you’re ready to take the first few steps, or are adamant on a specific treatment, Toronto has a variety of health and community resources to ensure that you receive the best care available to be safe, and, more importantly, comfortable and happy.
