The challenges of attaining gender-affirming gear for UofT students
The transformative power of GAG
Gender-affirming gear (or GAG, for short) refers to the tools and accessories designed to align with an individual’s external presentation of their gender identity. GAGs include—but are not limited to—binders, bras, packers (objects worn in front of the pants or the underwear to give the appearance of having a penis), and underwear varieties such as compression underwear.
As the current President of VicPride, we evaluated the feedback from VicPride’s 2023 survey on our past GAG giveaways to increase our understanding of GAG and find ways to further support these initiatives. The positive impact of GAG is evident: our Equity Director found emerging themes of empowerment and confidence from 12 codes of anonymous respondents. One individual claimed that GAG helped match their outward gender presentation with their true gender identity and that they “would not be as comfortable with” their body without GAG. Becoming “more confident as a person” bolsters their sense of self-empowerment, self-acceptance, and belonging in various social contexts, as well as facilitates more authentic connections with others.
Another benefit of wearing GAG includes the role of exploration. One respondent claimed that GAG helps them “present [themselves] in the way [they] want to [depending] on how [they] felt” on a particular day. Since gender identities are fluid, the flexible and socially affirmative role of GAGs in changing one’s gender expression can enhance gender euphoria while reducing dysphoria.
Knowing the importance of providing GAG to its community members, VicPride delivered GAG giveaways that offered binders, bras, packers, trans tape, and underwear varieties purchased from gender expression and affirming online stores such as GenderGear, urBasics, TomboyX, and Juniper & Eve. Options come in different sizes, colours, and materials, reflecting the diverse and nuanced nature of gender expression. The array of choices caters to people’s preferences, styles, and body types, aiming to empower community members to navigate and express their non-conforming gender identities with authenticity and confidence.
For the past two years, our GAG giveaways spent approximately $9,600 to serve a total of 147 recipients from both Victoria College and other UofT college communities. Additional funding was drawn from The Student Projects Fund at Vic and the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council’s (VUSAC) Equity Commission to support this initiative. A substantial amount of funding went to discreetly delivering GAGs to the recipient’s choice of location to improve the accessibility of GAGs and to help individuals avoid experiencing stigma and discrimination from unsupportive family and peers.
Financial hurdles for GAG giveaways
While GAGs are thought to be a cost-effective alternative to medical avenues of gender-affirming care and therapies, the affordability of purchasing GAG is a significant hurdle for many university students. For instance, the price of packers of differing quality from urBasics range from $54 to $164, excluding taxes and shipping fees. On average, chest binders also cost between $50 to $80 on GenderGear and Juniper & Eve.
Even though our GAG initiative aimed to alleviate the financial obstacles that 2SLGBTQ+ community members faced, the levy itself also faced financial struggles in its past annual budgeting. VicPride’s total funding in the 2022-23 academic year was approximately $2,454, drawn from the incidental fees of $0.33 per full-time student and $0.25 per part-time student every semester. For reference, the average levy fee in 2023-24 was $1.73 per student—five times higher than VicPride’s 2022-23 budget.
For the very first Winter 2022 giveaway, VicPride secured $3000 from the VUSAC Equity Commission to facilitate the giveaway; this single budget line alone surpassed VicPride’s entire annual levy budget for the 2022-23 academic year. In the subsequent Winter 2023 giveaway, VicPride faced financial constraints yet again by allocating $200 from its own budget into a total of $5500. Additional funds were pooled from the Equity Commission and The Student Projects Fund to support the initiative.
To enhance VicPride’s financial autonomy, VicPride proposed a referendum during the Winter 2023 elections, seeking an increase in the Student Levy Fee from $0.33 to $1.05 per full-time student and $0.25 to $0.75 every semester. The referendum received approval from 58 percent of Vic student voters, allowing VicPride’s total funding for the 2023-24 academic year to reach approximately $8,040.
This adjustment only represents a modest stride to financial sustainability. We allocated $1500 to the 2023-24 giveaway in order for their remaining funds to support educational programming and events such as Queer Prom. For the first time in three giveaways, we were only able to serve Vic Students due to limited (carryover) funding. Nonetheless, we yearned for the initiative’s broader reach and inclusivity in supporting non-Vic students. After our Finance Chair conducted a student data summary on past giveaways, we found that approximately 52 percent and 42 percent of the orders came from non-Vic students for Winter 2022 and 2023 respectively, highlighting a need for GAG initiatives to be available in other colleges.
What about gender-affirming care?
(Disclaimer: The following information about gender-affirming care is accurate as of January 2024 and is subject to change in the future.)
Atlas, the current Education Director at VicPride, stated in an interview with The Strand that UofT provides decent gender-affirming healthcare services in their experience. For example, students can access masculinising and feminising Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) as well as initial assessments and referrals for surgical procedures at the UofT Health & Wellness Center (H&W), St. George Campus. Atlas stated that “H&W are generally supportive of gender-affirming care and follow an informed consent model for HRT, eliminating the need for a gender dysphoria diagnosis.”
UofT students can also get coverage on hormones (and other specific gender-affirming healthcare benefits) from supplementary health insurance plans such as GreenShield, offered by the UTSU and other student unions. The UTSU’s insurance plan covers 80 percent of the cost of prescription drugs, including gender-affirming hormones, up to an annual maximum of $5000. This coverage, though partial, is extremely valuable, because OHIP and UHIP do not cover gender-affirming hormones at all.
Students are often unaware of these services, with others confused about whether their drugs, procedures, and other forms of gender-affirming care are eligible to be covered or reimbursed by their specific supplementary health insurance providers before accessing treatment or procedures. Atlas stated that “awareness about available services is an issue, and there’s a need for improved communication to inform and educate the community.”
While OHIP and UHIP offer basic gender-affirming health insurance coverage for HRT consultations and genital surgeries, accessing surgery-related care requires a diagnosis of persistent gender dysphoria as well as completing at least 12 months of HRT. Prolonged wait times have been found to be distressing for transgender individuals’ mental health as it contributes to feelings of low mood, suicidal ideation, and a decreased overall quality of life. Furthermore, the requirement that individuals have to undergo HRT to access surgery-related care may conflict with their desired transition goals.
Additionally, Ontario does not fully cover chest masculinisation surgery, often known as top surgery. Top surgery for transmasculine individuals broadly involves two procedures: removal of the breast tissue, or a “mastectomy,” and reshaping the chest to look more masculine, or “contouring.” While a mastectomy is covered under OHIP and UHIP, chest contouring is not. This fact is not well-known amongst people currently in the process of accessing top surgery, and many have to unexpectedly pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Other procedures, such as facial masculinisation/feminisation surgery and laser hair removal are also not covered under OHIP and UHIP. While these additional procedures are covered under Greenshield (up to a maximum of $5000 per procedure and a lifetime maximum of $10,000), access to them also requires a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
A required gender dysphoria diagnosis for many procedures not only acts as an additional barrier towards accessing care but also pathologises trans identities, which is deeply unreflective of their experiences. While gender dysphoria can be debilitating for many individuals, that is not true for everyone. “Our identities are not defined by the pain that we experience, and our bodily autonomy should not be restricted on that basis,” says Atlas from personal experience. “One can want to transition for a multitude of reasons, even if they do not experience physical dysphoria, and every trans person should be given the opportunity to do so regardless of the specifics of their personal experience.”
Atlas also advocates for Ontario to expand OHIP coverages for gender-affirming procedures not currently covered. “I would also encourage advocacy against privatising healthcare and for preserving the public health system. Healthcare is a human right, and we must stop Doug Ford and the Conservatives from limiting our access to it in the name of corporate profit.” In 2022, the Ford Government rejected a measure aimed at improving gender-affirming health services in the province. Moreover, recent transphobic remarks by Ford and others indicate the Conservative Government’s efforts to try and enact legislation towards restricting access to gender-affirming healthcare in the future. Such laws are being passed in many states in the US, setting a terrifying precedent for transphobic politicians in Canada to follow.
Building towards a long-term future for GAG initiatives
Grassroots communities have begun work on novel GAG research. Angela Wang, the graduate representative for LGBTOUT, is currently spearheading a community research project on GAG usage and access. Wang explained in an interview with The Strand that “We’ve noticed that many equity groups on campus have had the collective dream of starting up [their own] GAG initiatives throughout the years. We want to learn more about what different groups have done, where students are seeking GAG, and what our community would like to see in the coming years. In light of the transphobic rhetoric spreading across the province and the protests and violence happening near campus over the last few months, we hope this initiative strengthens (and celebrates) our community and our resilience.”
Moreover, Ceili Reilly, the Vice-President of the St. Mike’s branch of the PEARS Project (SAGA), expressed enthusiasm about the project’s potential research methodologies and the interdisciplinary collaboration between students from different faculties. Reilly shared that SAGA joined the community research project and is collectively “spearheading an initiative that will conduct research with focus groups consisting of UofT students, with the goal of advancing our knowledge of people’s experience with GAG. Our team is super interdisciplinary, encompassing students of Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, and Sexual Diversity studies, among others. Focus group interviews and policy briefs will be conducted. Our project is still in its planning stages, and we expect much to develop in the coming weeks.”
UofT student unions are also paving the way to create long-term, sustainable GAG initiatives. In January 2024, the UTSU passed the motion to deliver their first campus-wide GAG giveaway initiative. Aidan Thompson, the UTSU’s current Vice-President Public and University Affairs, is elated by this outcome, stating that: “The goal here really is to try and ensure that as many folks as possible feel as safe as possible on our campus. That starts with making sure that people feel comfortable being themselves, which GAG can play a major role in. I’m proud of this initiative, proud of the student engagement that’s made it possible, and deeply proud and appreciative of the people who helped me and my team make it happen.”
The UTSU is currently working with other student unions and groups to organise GAG distribution nodes for other UofT college communities. “We’re still working on perfecting delivery and distribution, but one of the big things that I’m excited to experiment with is enhancing UTSU and College Student Union collaboration,” said Thompson. “That’s the type of thing that gives me hope, and I think it’ll make a big difference for the accessibility of this program.”
As for Thompson’s recommendations and advice to other student unions who could support the delivery of GAG initiatives: “My number one recommendation for anyone else looking into providing GAG is to consult early and often. You need to know what people want, you need to know what people need, and you need to know where people tend to go to see about getting them (or just where they spend their time on campus so you can keep services close to home!).”
Thompson also acknowledges the inherent challenges and relentless dedication involved in supporting these initiatives. “It’s sometimes difficult to make that happen—there’s always another fire to fight, another issue to tackle. Beyond that, lean on like-minded people around you—I promise they want to help make those dreams come true, too!”
VicPride is proud to have advocated for GAG from the very beginning. Consulting the Vic community about our GAG initiatives helped us discern ways to improve its delivery. The success of advocating for a referendum provided us with the financial independence necessary to run future giveaways. Collaborating with student groups, such as LGBTOUT and SAGA, on the community research project is a major step towards enriching the broader research landscape on GAG. Providing our finance and student data, as well as a survey report, to the UTSU may have impacted the decision to deliver their first campus-wide GAG giveaway initiative.
Let us build ourselves—our calling will continue paving a future where GAG initiatives flourish, where our community celebrates the richness of every unique gender identity, and where our gender-diverse community members feel empowered, united, and authentic.
Chris Wong is the President of VicPride, 2023-24.
