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What does “social transition” mean?
There are parts of transitioning that are not specifically medical. Some of these are referred to as being aspects of “social transition.” Social transition can include: “Coming out,” or becoming…
Social TransitionHow can having a mental health diagnosis other than gender dysphoria affect my care?
Having any other mental health diagnosis (for example: depression, anxiety, mood disorders) does not automatically hurt your access to gender affirming care. Similarly, other “intellectual disabilities” or neurodivergent conditions (for…
Mental HealthWhy is a diagnosis of gender dysphoria relevant?
The usual practice of doctors and other care providers in Ontario is to diagnose someone with gender dysphoria before prescribing them hormones. Some people are not comfortable with the terms…
Mental HealthI can afford to pay for some or all of my counselling. Where should I look?
There are hundreds of affirming mental health practitioners practicing and providing services to trans and gender-diverse people across Ontario. This includes psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists, and other therapists and counsellors…
Mental HealthWhere can I get free counselling?
There are a handful of free counselling services in the province that have expertise in LGBT2SQ -affirming care. Some are housed within mental health agencies, for example KW Counselling’s OK2BME,…
Mental HealthHow do I find the right counsellor for me?
It is important to find a counsellor who will be a good fit for your needs, and you can ask questions that can help you figure out whether they are,…
Mental Healthism
Harmful beliefs, behaviours or institutional practices by a group or person with power directed against specific groups, rationalized by an underlying belief that certain people are superior to others. Examples...
phobia
A learned dislike, aversion, or an extreme, irrational fear and/or hatred of a particular group of people. It is expressed through beliefs and tactics that devalue, demean and terrorize people....
accommodation
An adjustment made to policies, programs and/or practices to enable individuals to benefit from and participate in the provision of services equally and perform to the best of their ability....
ally
A person who works to end a form of oppression that gives them privilege(s). Allies listen to, and are guided by, communities and individuals affected by oppression. Forms of oppression...
anti-racism
Beliefs, actions, policies and movements developed to actively identify and eliminate prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.
asexual
A sexual orientation where a person experiences little or no sexual attraction.
barrier
Any overt or covert obstacle that prevents a person from fully taking part in all aspects of society. For example, a belief, policy, practice, object or environment that prevents or...
bias
A subjective opinion, predisposition, preference, prejudice, generalization or inclination, formed based on personal characteristics or stereotypes.
bisexual
A person who is emotionally, physically, spiritually and/or sexually attracted to people of more than one gender, though not necessarily at the same time.
biphobia
Negative attitudes, feelings, or irrational aversion to, fear or hatred of bisexual people and their communities, or of behaviours stereotyped as bisexual, leading to discrimination, harassment or violence against bisexual...
bullying
The use of threat, coercion, or force to cause fear, distress or harm to a person.
coming out
A process of revealing more openly to self or others one’s LGBT2SQ identity....
cis/cisgender
Cisgender is used to explain the phenomena where a person’s gender identity is in line with or “matches” the sex they were assigned at birth. Cis can also be used...
cisnormativity
Cisnormativity (“cis” meaning “the same as”) refers to the commonplace assumption that all people are cisgender and that everyone accepts this as “the norm”. The term cisnormativity is used to...
cissexism
A system of oppression that considers cis people to be superior to trans people. It includes harmful beliefs that it is “normal” to be cis and “abnormal” to be trans....
colonization
The process of focusing on and devaluing people’s differences in order to dominate and control them, including various economic, political and social policies by which a powerful group maintains or...
cross-dresser
A person who, for various reasons, wears gender atypical clothing or occasionally dresses in clothing of the “opposite” gender. They may or may not self-identify as a cross-dresser.
culture
The sum of many things an individual learns (and may modify or pass on) from being immersed in a particular context – the shared (or perceived to be shared) ideas,...