Non-binary person, 33, in Canada wants taxpayers to fund $70,000 surgery to give them a vagina AND keep their penis

A person in Canada wants taxpayers to fund an operation to create a vagina while maintaining a functional penis, in a unique case.

The 33-year-old Ontario native was born male but identifies as non-binary, meaning they are not exclusively male or female, “but literally a mix,” according to court documents.

Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) initially denied the request on the grounds that the procedure is experimental and not performed in Canada.

But the patient – ​​referred to only as KS – filed a complaint with the province’s appeals board, which overturned the decision, subsequently leading to a counter-appeal.

The case is now before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which will rule in the coming months.

It’s unclear how much the surgery will cost, but traditional “repositioning” procedures typically cost between $10,000 and $70,000.

In a similar case last June, OHIP funded the operation of a 41-year-old civil servant who had a penis built without removing the vagina and uterus – despite initially denying the claim.

The cases reflect a small but growing demand for niche surgeries for people who identify with one of the more complicated gender groups.

According to court documents, KS has suffered from gender dysphoria since he was a teenager. They are non-binary, but skewed ‘transfeminine’ and go by she/her.

KS’s doctor, an Ottawa endocrinologist, provided testimony in support of her request for the unusual surgery.

“It is very important for (KS) to have a vagina for her personal interpretation of her gender expression, but she also wants to keep her penis,” the doctor wrote in a letter of support.

‘(KS) is transfeminine, but not quite on the ‘feminine’ end of the spectrum (and) for this reason it is important for her to have a vagina and at the same time maintain a penis.’

KS argued that removing her penis would only worsen her gender dysphoria.

But critics told the National Post the request illustrates “how far gender-affirming treatment has gone off the rails.”

“Our public health care system is at the breaking point and really needs to focus on procedures that are medically necessary,” Pamela Buffone, founder of the parent group Canadian Gender Report, said in an email to the National Post.

‘Is this type of surgery healthcare? The patient will not be physically healthier because of the surgery, which will likely result in complications and the need for corrective surgeries and further demands on the healthcare system.”

If approved, KS will travel to The Crane Center in Austin, Texas, which specializes in various non-standard gender surgeries.

A lead surgeon at the clinic once boasted in a 2021 Facebook video that he offers “everything you can imagine.”

In an interview with National Post, they said that about a dozen operations similar to KS’s are performed at the center every year.

Typically, male-to-female genital surgery uses tissue from the penis to create a vaginal canal and turns glands from the organ into a clitoris.

But in the case of KS, surgeons will use skin grafts from the abdomen, colon, or scrotum to create the vagina.

The goal of “phallus-preserving vaginoplasty” is to create a vagina that is “aesthetically pleasing” while “preserves the original genital structure of the penis,” according to the Art Plastic Surgery clinic of New Jersey.

The penis can still be used for sex or urination, it says.

But many doctors warn that the surgery is risky and that the techniques used for it are still poorly understood.