Brown University has joined a list of 35 other U.S. schools that will cover medical expenses and procedures for transgender students, according to The Brown Daily Herald.
Schools such as Brown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania pay for everything from hormone therapy to sexual reassignment surgeries.
The term “transgender” refers to any person who does not identify with their biological sex, prompting them to express their gender identity differently.
Hormone therapy involves administering of hormones to align the individual’s gender identity with bodily characteristics typically seen as “male” or “female.” For example, hormone therapy might target the depth of voice, percentage of body fat, and growth of facial hair. Other common medical procedures include genital reassignment surgery, which change the shape and nature of the genitals.
Kelly Garrett, LGBTQ center co-ordinator at Brown, told the Herald that student advocacy groups pushed the university to offer this type of coverage.
The services covered include more than a dozen of the most common transgender medical procedures.
Many U.S. schools have been making changes for transgender students, from acknowledgment of name change to providing more accessible housing services.
For example, Brown University school-issued email addresses will take into account a transgender student’s preferred first name, and gender-neutral washrooms and housing are available.
Margaret Klawunn, vice-president of campus life at Brown, told the New York Times that “Students had been asking about it, so we’d been looking at it . . . whether our health plan was in line with our nondiscrimination policy.”
The information on the number of students who take advantage of these services is unknown.
The lack of government-funded healthcare in the U.S. means that for some students, the coverage they receive from their university is all they have.
According to Canadian Federation of Students national treasurer Michael Olson, coverage for transgender students “has not been as pronounced a topic for student extended health plans in Canada.”
Across Canada, transgender medical services are available.
In Ontario, those wishing to make use of these services must visit the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
After a variety of criteria have been met and a psychological assessment undergone, the procedures are covered under the provincial health plan.
