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A new government policy to fund about $170,000 worth of
sex-change operations, has been welcomed by transgender advocate Christina
Loughton.
"There is not going to be enough to pay for
everyone," said Loughton, 66, who runs transgender support group Agender
New Zealand's Christchurch branch.
"But it's the younger ones who need the opportunity
to move on and become ambassadors for the group."
The policy, quietly adopted by the Government last year
but little-known outside the transgender community, set aside funding for up
to four operations over two years.
The package includes up to three male-to-female operations
-- worth about $30,000 each -- performed by Christchurch cosmetic and
reconstructive surgeon Peter Walker.
He performed the first of those operations at Southern
Cross Hospital last month.
A fourth operation, female to male, could take place
overseas as the surgery is not done in New Zealand. The operation costs up to
$80,000 in Australia.
The money is coming from a $5.6 million special high-cost
treatment budget.
Health Ministry spokesman Colin Feek said the policy would
be assessed in a year or two.
"It's policy, but we're being cautious about the implementation
of it. How do you pick people successfully to live a different life? As you'd
appreciate, it's quite hard."
The final decision on who gets surgery would be made by Mr
Walker and his surgical team. Patients must pay for their own pre-operative assessments.
Mr Walker said the policy was giving transgender people a
chance they would not otherwise have.
"Transgender people seem to be quite intelligent,
generally speaking," he said. "I have patients from every walk of
life. But unfortunately there are a few who have left school because they
have been ridiculed. They have no education and gone on to the streets as
prostitutes. They have no chance at all of getting $30,000 together."
Agender's Christchurch branch has 30 paid-up members.
Ms Loughton said the city generally accepted transgender
people.
"Young yahoos might spin a car around and ask if you
are available but they don't just do it to us," she said. "I
personally have had very few discriminatory experiences."
Her own coming out was made all the more difficult because
she was a Presbyterian parish minister and a husband.
Ms Loughton would cross-dress in private and visit massage
parlours, while working as a minister.
Ms Loughton's wife accepted her new femme personality at
first, but their 40-year marriage has since ended.
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