By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The city of Berkeley is expected to agree tonight to set aside $20,000 a year to pay for city workers who want “gender-reassignment surgery.”
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the decision came after the city’s two health insurers either didn’t provide the coverage or wouldn’t do so without substantial premium hikes. As a result, the city decided to step in and provide the money instead.
“We offer all kinds of benefits to our employees. This brings our benefits in line with what’s just and fair for the transgender community,” said City Councilman Darryl Moore, who originally proposed the idea in 2007.
According to the Chronicle, the $20,000 fund will be distributed on a first-come, first serve basis, and would pay for at least part of surgery costs, which range anywhere from $7,000 to $50,000. To qualify, a person would have to be employed by the city and have lived as the opposite sex for at least one year, and undergone hormone therapy.
Some Berkeley residents are upset about the idea of having their money used for sex-change operations rather than for essential services.
“How come I’m paying for this?” asked Ann Slaby, a former zoning commissioner. “There might be some people who really need this, but right now my street badly needs paving.”
If the proposal passes tonight, Berkeley will join San Francisco as the second California city to cover the surgeries.
“We’re later than San Francisco, but we still try to be on the forefront of policies to promote people’s understanding of same-sex issues,” City Councilman Max Anderson, told the Chronicle. “It’s OK if it’s controversial. We’re willing to push the envelope a little bit.”
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