More transgender Kiwis seek surgery
Genital gender confirmation surgery referrals have jumped fivefold since a cap was lifted in October last year, but a pathway to cutting down waiting times remains unclear.
Auckland man Josh McNally had been referred to the list since the cap lift. He had known he was ‘‘not like the other boys’’ from a young age.
‘‘I don’t have what they have. There has always been a part of me missing. I pushed the idea deep down, thinking I would never be able to have the body I imagined.’’
Genital reconstruction was about being comfortable ‘‘in [his] body as a whole’’.
Phalloplasty would enable him to enjoy intimacy with his partner and confidently use the men’s bathroom.
Genital reconstruction surgeries were funded from the High Cost Treatment Pool. Previously these were capped at three maleto-female surgeries and one female-to-male surgery every two years. Since the cap lift in October last year, referrals per quarter jumped more than five-fold from four to 21.
McNally was 23rd out of 31 trans masculine people on the list for female-to-male surgery.
The 33-year-old had his doubts about its real effect on waiting times, which had been widely reported to be up to 50 years. ‘‘I would love the Government to prove me wrong and actually take trans healthcare seriously. I would like to see a timeline of when and how often these referrals will actually be seen by a surgeon.’’
Gender Minorities Aotearoa national co-ordinator Ahi WiHongi said the rise in referrals showed a ‘‘huge need’’ that hadn’t been met. ‘‘It’s showing it’s a possibility for trans people to get surgery. I think we’ll see a lot more people joining the list.
‘‘We think it’s likely the list will be cleared in the next few years. At this point it’s down to the Budget and the Government making sure trans healthcare is a priority.’’
Wi-Hongi said funding the surgery would reduce costs in the area of mental health.
‘‘It would absolutely save lives. So many trans, non-binary and intersex people take their own lives because they can’t see the future for them. They feel society is against them. The government caring would mean trans people would feel some confidence that people do care about them.’’
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter was unsurprised by the increase in referrals. ‘‘The rise in the waiting list shows a huge unmet need from a community that has been without hope for far too long.’’
Eight people had recently been referred for pre-surgery consultation, which she said was ‘‘a step in the right direction’’.
All female-to-male surgeries had so far been performed overseas. Male-to-female surgeries were available in Christchurch until surgeon Peter Walker retired in 2014.
At the beginning of 2018, Auckland-based Dr Rita Yang was able to perform both male-tofemale and female-to-male surgeries, but at that time lacked an ‘‘appropriate multidisciplinary clinical team’’.