The Student Wellness Centre’s gender affirming care isn’t just important, it’s lifesaving
By: Finnick Appollo Brisson, Opinion Contributor
this article contains images that may be sensitive for some readers
Navigating university is hard and when you’re balancing that with a diverse identity like living as a trans student it can be even more exhausting. We are met with more challenges than our cisgender classmates with challenges and barriers in our way while trying to transition through university life.
For students navigating these challenges, the support and gender affirming care offered by McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre can make a lifesaving difference. My story is a testament to that.
My name is Finnick Appollo Brisson, I go by he/him pronouns, and I’m going into my 4th year at McMaster University in the faculty of social science. I’m a trans man.
I started at McMaster before coming out as trans and navigating transitioning through university has been difficult. If it wasn’t for the Student Wellness Center, I doubt that I would have made it.
When I first arrived at university, a therapist at the Student Wellness Center recommended I attend Embracing Gender Diversity, a support group made of trans and gender-nonconforming students.
The first day I attended the group, I felt like I had a reason to live. I felt like what I had been experiencing my entire life could finally be put into words. I began to attend this group weekly because I was able to discuss things there that would have been unsafe anywhere else.
I soon learned that the group wasn’t the only gender-affirming care on campus.
The Student Wellness Center offers counseling and medical care for all trans and queer students with counselors well trained in gender diversity and doctors who are equipped and able to provide lifesaving care.
I was able to access hormone replacement therapy because of one of these doctors and I’m able to get weekly injections from the lovely nurses there.
Additionally, the Wellness Center can help students begin the legal process of changing both names and gender markers.
One of the biggest reasons I made it to top surgery in the first place was because I was able to work with a counselor. Previously, I had gone through the system and was passed from one mental health professional to another, until I came to the wellness centre and found the counselor who saved my life.
I’ve been taking testosterone for over two years now, and I had top surgery a year and a half ago. Without the care and kindness that the wellness centre provided me, I wouldn’t be here today.
Today I am a proud 4th year trans man with pursuing a Master’s in psychotherapy after my undergraduate. Without the support that the Student Wellness Centre provides, I would never have made it this far.
Being a student is hard and balancing a diverse identity makes it harder. Mcmaster Student Wellness offers the support that trans students so badly need in today’s social and political environment. I hope hiring more gender diverse staff can be a part of expanding this support.
Gender affirming care is lifesaving, and for trans students at any stage of that journey, the Student Wellness Centre is there, with its help, university can be the life changing opportunity every trans student deserves.
By Elisa Do, Staff Writer
For many of us, the last few weeks have certainly been a novel experience. The spread of COVID-19 has caused in-person class cancellations and the disruption of our typical day-to-day lives. As with most universities across the globe, McMaster University has moved courses and examinations online. Although the transition is necessary due to the current circumstances, it is also important that we take a closer look at what this change can mean for students and the impact it can create on our learning.
Online courses require students to have access to the Internet in order to complete coursework. However, not every household can afford internet costs, and not everyone lives in areas with access to the Internet. In 2017, only 37 per cent of rural households in Canada had access to internet speeds considered standard for regular Internet usage and approximately only 24 per cent of households in Indigenous communities had access to standard-speed Internet service.
This can prevent students from frequently participating in their online classes; especially for online tests or examinations that require stable and continuous Internet access. Also, classes may require students to tune in to video conferences or watch lectures online, activities which require high speed Internet.
This is compounded by another change that students are currently facing: students no longer have access to public libraries or study spaces that were once available to them. Even if Internet access is a problem at home, libraries used to provide students with the resources to maintain their studies. Without libraries, finding Internet access can become an even greater challenge. With all this in mind, it would be beneficial for instructors to permit greater flexibility within course structures. Depending on the course itself, making alterations such as options to opt out of final exams or to complete presentations via alternative methods like telephone, could provide the necessary support for students during this time.
Also, without public study areas, not only do students lose out on possible resources such as hard copy books or technology, but they are also unable to study in an environment that is not their home. Many students go to libraries in order to be in an environment that encourages focus and motivation. Speaking from my personal experience, I often find it difficult to focus on work-related tasks in places such as my home, which is designed for comfort and relaxation. I realize that when studying at home, it is natural to feel less motivated as the environment also plays a role in conditioning me to be at ease.
Furthermore, many campus resources are only available in person. For example, peer support resources from McMaster Students Union services such as the Student Health Education Centre, the Women and Gender Equity Network or Maccess can only operate in-person. With these services closed and the volunteers at home, students who may wish to access support no longer have that opportunity.
Aside from peer support, many students also visit the Student Wellness Centre to access counselling services. With the current circumstances, students can no longer access counselling in-person, and group programs within the Student Wellness Centre have also been cancelled. Being away from all the mental health support that had previously been offered on campus can negatively affect how students are dealing with their mental health at home.
That is not to say that folks at McMaster are neglecting support options for students. Many educators are working hard to continue course office hours and the Student Wellness Centre is also providing appointments online and by telephone. However, without in-person communication, there is still a barrier to how accessible these services can be. Through social distancing, individuals are forced to take the initiative to reach out to others via virtual options or online messaging. It means that students can miss out on engaging in social interaction if they do not proactively seek out others. And it can also mean that those who may want mental health support don’t know who or where to turn to with these sudden changes.
Because of how novel this experience is for so many of us, it is crucial that we remember it is okay to feel overwhelmed. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, so it is fair that students may also feel uncertain at times. Although I think it is wonderful that many people are encouraging one another to partake in productive activities throughout the day, I think it is also super important that we are reminded to accept that there has been a change. It’s all right for our day-to-day schedules to look different and it is totally fine if everything seems to be going at an unusual pace.
Studying from home poses a variety of barriers and these barriers impact each and every student differently. During these times, it is essential that we are more considerate of how physical distancing can affect our learning. Students should not have to feel guilty about taking time to adjust to these new changes and instructors should also keep in mind that students are most likely in a different headspace as they adjust. As we all work together to continue figuring out how we can make this difficult time a little more easier, let us encourage greater flexibility in students’ learning and do our best to minimize any additional distress being away from campus may cause.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
