Transsexuals protest funding cut

Globe and Mail, Canada
ALBERTA WATCH
Transsexuals protest funding cut
Katherine O'Neill, today at 1:37 PM EDT

Alberta's transsexual community is making good on a promise to file
human rights complaints that stem from last week's provincial budget.

This Wednesday, complaints will be filed in Edmonton and Calgary by
transgendered people upset with the Tory government's decision to
delist publicly-funded sex change operations.

The move will save the cash-strapped province about $700,000 a year.

Upset transgendered people are also planning to converge at the
Legislature on Tuesday.

But don't expect the Tories to climb down from this controversial
decision without a fight. "We can't cover everything," Health Minister
Ron Liepert told reporters last week.

Last year, Ontario had to reinstate provincial medical coverage for
the procedure after the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled the then
Progressive Conservative government's decision in 1998 to delist it
was discriminatory.

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