Gender Diversity and Affirming Action for Youth (GDAAY) is a program in Winnipeg that offers integrated care for youth in Manitoba during their gender affirming journey. Every youth’s journey is different and our program aims to support youth through the transition they feel is affirming for them.
Our waitlist can be long and we are working to shorten it, however this will take time. We know the waiting period can be a challenging time for youth. There are many steps in a youth’s gender affirming journey that can be done without medications or that can be started by a family doctor or pediatrician.
Supporting your patients through transition
Gender affirming care is the standard of care for youth. Primary care providers and other health care professionals have an important role in supporting youth through their gender-affirming journey. Primary care providers will often see youth before they are seen by a GDAAY and will continue to follow youth through their journey into adulthood.
We recommend reading the Canadian Pediatric Society’s statement on gender affirming care. Some important aspects of gender affirming care include:
- Ask about chosen name and pronouns
- Create a supportive environment in your clinic
- Be able to discuss medical gender affirming care with patients
- Start therapies that are within your scope of practice and comfort level.
- Learn about gender affirming care so you can best support your patients (resources provided)
How to make a referral to GDAAY:
Click here to see the age of referrals GDAAY is currently accepting.
Referrals can be made by health care professionals such as family doctors or other primary care providers using the fillable GDAAY referral form. This referral form is also available on Accuro titled GDAAY Referral. To download, search “GDAAY” in Accuro’s forms repository. The referral should include:
- The youth’s name and pronouns
- A puberty examination (with youth consent)
- If assigned female at birth, if/when menarche started
- Who our clinic can safely contact (Ex. Both parents? One parent?)
- Any documentation of prior developmental/mental health assessments
The completed referral can be sent by fax or mail to:
- Phone number: 204-787-3337
- Fax number: 204-787-1655
- Address: FE307-685 William Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3E 0Z2
Once a referral is received, youth/caregivers will get a phone call from a social worker to discuss if they meet eligibility and what other resources they can access. Our waitlist can be long and we acknowledge this can be challenging for youth and are working to shorten it.
Referrals go through a triage process, therefore we are unable to provide an exact wait time to those on the wait list. For example, a youth who is just starting puberty for whom blockers could prevent unwanted changes may be seen in a separate (more urgent) stream compared to a youth who has completed puberty and is interested in starting gender affirming hormone therapy.
Resources for Health Care Professionals
There are several comprehensive statements and guidelines for further education on gender affirming hormone therapies. We would recommend reading the Canadian Pediatric Society Statement to begin if this is new to you. We have also included links to other organizations and information. Klinic is a clinic located in Winnipeg that provides gender affirming care to older adolescents and adults, and they have many resources.
Guidelines/ Statements For Health Care Professionals:
- Canadian Pediatric Society Statement on An Affirming Approach to Caring for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth
- American Academy of Pediatrics Statement on Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents
- World Professional Association For Transgender Health (WPATH) Standard of Care Guidelines
Local Resources:
- Klinic in Winnipeg provides gender affirming care to older adolescents and adults, and they have many resources including a page for health care providers.
- Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg provides many resources for the 2SLGBTQ+ community including:
- Counselling
- Binder exchange program
- Trans ID clinic (support for legal name or gender change)
- Youth programs and camps
- PFFoTI (Parents, Family and Friends of Trans Individuals)
- Our Own Health is Winnipeg clinic that serves 2SLGBTQ+ individuals
