‘It lets you be truthful’: Sask. trans support service reacts to census changes

Claire Yacishyn believes the recent census can be a small step when it comes to providing members of the transgender and non-binary communities with the support they need.

The recent Canadian census results show that of 30.5 million Canadians 15 and older who responded to the survey, 0.33 per cent identified as transgender or non-binary – 59,460 transgender and 41,355 non-binary.

“This is the first national census across the world as far as I’m aware that is collecting data on transgender individuals. This is meaningful in the fact we will actually have meaningful data to use going forward. Prior to this we didn’t have any so it’s difficult to make data-informed decisions when you don’t have that information,” said Yacishyn, who is the executive director at TransSask support services.

“You never know the impact of something when it’s happening, you only really know it afterward. I think it’s a small step and it gives us a starting point for more progress going forward. The first time you do something, you are liable to miss some things, and then doing it allows you to learn and improve. I think it’s just the beginning.”

She says things like this have been done on a community level and there have been two nationwide studies when it comes to the trans community in the country.

“We didn’t get a lot of responses in Saskatchewan so it has been difficult to know what are the greatest needs of the trans community,” Yacishyn said.

“We looked at things like housing challenges, name change challenges, income-level discrimination at work. It really helps us balance what are the priorities and what we need to be working on first for advancing the rights of trans and gender-diverse people.”

Yacishyn said that TransSask is in the middle of doing its own census to gather data for Saskatchewan. She said it can help determine what areas need the most support, saying there are still issues facing the trans community in the province.

“We need greater funding for services,” Yacishyn said. “Right now, for a lot of people who want to pursue medical transition, a lot of that is not covered. Surgeries for people in the province, while the medical procedure may be covered, travel for it and time off work might not be covered for it.

“Other procedures are also just not covered that are seen as necessary. Hair removal for trans-feminine people are costs that have to be borne by trans individuals who generally have lower incomes in the data that we do have. We need better services. That’s the biggest thing.”

She said the federal government appears to be more willing to provide funding and support for the LGBTQ2+ community.

“We haven’t had stable funding from the government until this most recent one and there was a $100-million commitment, which we like to see. This funding should have happened earlier though. We’re behind but we’re happy progress is being made,” Yacishyn said.

And being able to select the gender that a person identifies with is a good step.

“It lets you be truthful. You don’t have to hide who you are and that’s a big thing,” Yacishyn said. “It lets you be seen in the picture of the nation. Prior to this, you had to choose one or the other and for many people, they don’t fit in either box. Even if they do fit in the box of man or woman, they’re different to the way they relate to the box.”