TRANSEXUAL FOUND IN FLORIDA (CONTINUED)

them time to understand their true feelings and make an informed decision as to what is best for them.  The decision of SRS is not to be taken lightly as it is an irreversible procedure.  You will never be able to go back, exactly as you were.

Now that you have read about Enchante' and understand a little better what the term transgendered means, if you believe you fit in this category and would like to learn more feel free to contact us or come to one of our monthly meetings.

MEDICAL COSTS AND INSURANCE

With a positive outlook and a little help from friends transitioning can even be a lot of fun!

The bottom line… can I afford to transition and change my sex?  What can I expect to pay for all the procedures necessary to change my gender, including SRS.  The average costs at this time are:  $25,000 to $35,000 and up.

How much of this will insurance cover?  NONE!  Once you

are officially diagnosed with G.I.D. (Gender Identity Dysphoria) and your insurance carrier becomes aware of it they will closely monitor  all medical activities and will refuse to pay anything they suspect is related to transition.  If you are a military veteran, you can receive a limited amount of assistance

through the V.A. such as therapy or prescription medication.  But all of your surgical procedures are considered elective cosmetic surgery and no one will pay for this except you yourself out-of-pocket.

Know that you will need to finance this yourself 100%.

CAREER ISSUES

There are a few large corporations that are TS/TG friendly.  By this I mean they will hire a person who has gone through or is going through the sex change process.  Or they will not fire you based upon this.

With most employers it is unfortunately another story.  But wouldn't it be illegal for them to discriminate and fire me for this?  Of course it would be

illegal to fire you based upon sexual preference or other issues protected by law.  But an employer wouldn't be so blatantly stupid to document that as the reason for termination.  Instead they will use reasons such as coming to work late, poor performance, or one of a million things.

Doesn't this make it difficult to transition on-the-job or to

work while financing and going through the transition process.  Yes it does, and it is a major problem for the transgendered community.  At this time there are no laws to protect us on this basis.

What can you do to prepare for transitioning on the job.  The safe and sure way would be to save enough money to pay for (Continued on page 3)



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