TransOhio, a transgender advocacy group, is providing a free event Feb. 8 to help adults meet with certified therapists, social workers and clinical psychologists to get approval letters needed to qualify for gender-affirming surgery and to potentially obtain insurance coverage.
Participants can meet with medical professionals to get transitional gender-affirming care letters that meet the standards of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. These letters confirm that an adult is both mentally prepared to have surgery and has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition where an individual’s sex assigned at birth does not align their gender identity. Participants will receive their letters a few days after the event.
The event, which takes place from noon to 5 p.m. at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River, is meant to help participants navigate an approval process that can take several years to complete, said Dara Adkison, director of TransOhio.
“It's just a time-intensive and expensive process — the exact opposite of what some people would say about gender-affirming care," they said. "It is not easy, and it is not accessible.”
Adkison does not anticipate disruptions at the event, despite Ohio Republicans limiting gender-affirming care, including banning it for youth.
“We are not aware of any protests or harm or anything related to this event and we have our own good security practices,” they said.
State and federal officials, including President Donald Trump, have publicly opposed gender-affirming care, particularly for minors.
No hospitals in Ohio currently provide gender-affirming surgery for children.
