Open Letter: University Groups & Unions Call for Comprehensive Trans Health Benefits at Simon Fraser University.

Dear Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, Joy Johnson, Chris Hatty, SFU GSS, and SFSS executives, 

Everyone deserves access to comprehensive healthcare. At SFU, our communities rely on robust benefit plans to bridge the gap in a less-than-universal healthcare system, whether that’s to cover vision, dental, pharmacare, or family planning. However, Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary folks in our communities, some of the people most at-need of coverage, are falling through the gaps. 

Last year, SFU’s student societies accepted a plan from Alumo (Studentcare) for gender affirming healthcare that continues to cap per procedure funding at an amount despondently below what's needed to cover acutely needed and difficult to access interventions. These interventions keep trans people safe from gender-based violence, sexualized violence, & suicidality, reduce impacts of anti-trans discrimination in education, housing, and jobs, and support the wellbeing and mental health of trans people. 

Staff and faculty remain dangerously underinsured by employee benefit plans, which exclude the amount of coverage necessary to fund these critical interventions. SFU must follow the lead of UBC ($50k lifetime maximum), PSAC ($75k lifetime maximum), and others by raising the bar on coverage so that everyone at SFU can be a part of an equitable and inclusive working community.  SFU can show they’re invested in their trans staff & faculty’s success and wellbeing by fulsomely meeting the commitment to care made within the Equity Compass. 

Comprehensively funding gender-affirming healthcare is cost-effective, creating savings on other premiums through an upstream approach. SFSS, GSS, and SFU must reject divisive and dangerous disinformation about this care and seriously reframe their commitment to our Two-Spirit, trans, and nonbinary communities.  

In the era of increasing anti-trans violence and legislation, we need universities now more than ever as a bulwark against hate and discrimination. Everyone at SFU benefits from a community that lifts everyone up—no exclusions. Our student societies and university have a responsibility to put our most marginalised first, and provide every opportunity for equity-needing students, staff, and faculty to reach their full potential, to be free from stigma and violence, and be supported to live long, safe, and healthy lives. 

As caring members of the SFU community: 

1. we call on SFSS and GSS to create a comprehensive funding mechanism for gender-affirming procedures to be covered by the Alumo plan and reserve funds without exclusions, removing coverage-stigmatising per procedure caps.  

2. We call on SFU to create a comprehensive funding mechanism for all staff and faculty health benefit plans across bargaining units, to ensure lifesaving gender-affirming healthcare is never out of reach for our community members. 

Accompanying these calls to action, we invite action-oriented responses from your offices to begin the collaborative process of making these indispensable improvements to our benefit plans. 

Sincerely, 

SFU Queer Collective 

SFU Trans Equity Pod 

SFU Faculty Association (SFUFA)

SFU Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU)

APSA Board on behalf of APSA 

CUPE 3338