City Okays Sex Changes for City Workers SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco, famed as a liberal bastion, broke new ground on Monday as officials voted to make it the first city in the country to finance sex changes for municipal employees.

The governing Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 to approve the proposal, which allows city workers to claim up to $50,000 of the cost of a sex change, including psychotherapy, hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery.

"We should afford our transgender brothers and sisters equal dignity and respect and honor to be able to participate as full citizens in San Francisco," Supervisor Mark Leno, who proposed the legislation, said.

The vote had initially been scheduled for last week but was postponed after one member of the board unexpectedly came out against the proposal and two others who backed it were absent.

Supervisor Tony Hall said the measure was a form of "reverse discrimination" that would allow transgender persons to achieve their goals but would leave other city employees unhappy with their physical bodies without the benefit of taxpayer-funded elective surgery.

"You only have to open the newspaper to see ads that cater to many people who are not satisfied with the size of their existing appendages...and this too effects their mental health," Hall said.

Leno and transgender advocates have dismissed Hall's objection, saying gender identity disorder is a medically diagnosed condition and stressing that the issue is simply one of equitable treatment.

"This legislation is not about providing cosmetic surgery to a small group of employees but making sure that transgender workers get the same rights as their colleagues," Leno wrote in an editorial in Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle.

The change, expected to be signed by Mayor Willie Brown and go into effect on July 1, makes San Francisco the first U.S. city to partially finance sex changes for city workers. The total cost for such surgery is estimated at about $37,000 for male-to-female procedures, and about $77,000 for more complicated female-to-male operations.

The city budget analyst estimated the expanded benefits could cost San Francisco more than $680,000 per year for its share of city worker insurance payments. It will also cost each of the some 50,000 current and retired city workers on the plan an additional $1.70 per month.

San Francisco currently has about a dozen "transgender" employees on its municipal payroll. Officials have estimated that in the first year as many as 35 city workers might take advantage of the new benefit, costing about $1.75 million.

San Francisco, known for its liberal social attitudes, passed a city law in 1995 prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in city contracting.

It has also passed a landmark ordinance requiring companies doing business with the city to offer the same benefits to employees with domestic partners -- either gay or straight -- as they do for married employees.

One of these days California will have an earthquake that causes it to fall off into the Pacific Ocean.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), May 02, 2001

Answers

The idiots can't afford the cost of electricity, but they can afford to turn Suzy into Sam. What morons.

-- libs are idiots (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), May 02, 2001.

Big mistake. Sets a ridiculous precedent.

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), May 02, 2001.

I'll be offline about ten days for re-tooling. Wish me luck.

"San Francisco here I come..."

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 02, 2001.

I realize the temptation to have a bit of fun with this one, but believe me no one is going to set a surgeon loose with a scalpel on their private parts unless they are very highly motivated. I'm guessing not many will be - although in SF, it's probably a higher percentage of the population than in, say, Omaha.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), May 02, 2001.

OK

Either Rich is serious or he has a troll (or he's just bein' "funny").

He got me once today. Ain't gonna happen again.......even after 10 Mich lites!

No ball practice tonight......duh!

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 02, 2001.

ROTFL!

No troll. Twas me. Need a tune-up. No major body work.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), May 02, 2001.

"The idiots can't afford the cost of electricity, but they can afford to turn Suzy into Sam. What morons.

-- libs are idiots (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), May 02, 2001."

More likely they'll be busy turning Sam into Suzy!!!

What else might we expect from the city that elected Willie Brown emperor not once, but twice?

It used to be a wonderful place even 15 years ago. Sadly, much has changed for the worse.

-- Former SFer (it's@not.like.it.used.to.be), May 03, 2001.