The staff is divided up into committees, as a staff member you could participate in different projects that interest you, need additional support, and you have capacity to commit to. Here are some of our committees and what those committees do:

• Resources Committee

  • We have many ongoing resources projects. We need people to make surveys, complete spreadsheets, do research on various health topics, turn survey data into helpful documents, call clinics to ask for information etc..

  • Some examples of resource projects include:

    • List of permanent hair removal providers,

    • Surveys on surgeries at GRS

    • How to troubleshoot accessing HRT in Montreal,

    • Comprehensive Montreal HRT provider Database,

    • List of social resources for isolated trans patients, especially those from conservative or religious backgrounds.

• Patient Reporting Committee

  • Interviewing patients is central to the work we do. If you are interested in being an interviewer, you would receive special training.

  • Note: this is the only staff work that we only let trans people do, since in our experience, trans patients are just not as comfortable being completely open about their experience in interviews with cisgender interviewees.

• Data Committee

  • Works with the Systems Administration committee to determine and implement best privacy and security practises for managing all organizational data, especially sensitive information.

  • Strategizes and implements data analysis methodology, so that it can be used safely and effectively for our resource creation and advocacy efforts.

• Advocacy Committee

  • Manages our relationships with clinics and providers, including raising issues with providers on behalf of trans patients.

• Communications Committee

  • Help maintain our social media presence, our newsletter and make design graphics for posters, Instagram and facebook, stickers, pins, brochures etc..

• Trans student GreenShield Gender Affirming Care Coalition Committee

  • A coalition group with 8 trans student organizations across so-called Canada working with student unions and the GreenShield insurance company to secure better GAC coverage for students insured by StudentCare.

• QTBIPOC Special Projects Committee

  • Working on special projects that center trans patients of color, often in collaboration with other committees. As of Summer 2024 it is working on:

    • A town hall for QTBIPOC patients on racism and transphobia in Montreal healthcare for fall 2024, in collaboration with Montreal QTBIPOC orgs.

    • Survey on racist experiences with GAC providers for the MTL HRT Database and other resources.

    • Updated list of more specific questions to ask patients of color in interviews

    • Recommended QTBIPOC resources and services the TPU should implement.

• Funding Committee

  • Committee looking into grants and long term-funding options for the TPU.

• System Administration Committee

  • Updates and maintains our website, emails, domains and work suites.

  • Works with the Data Management committee to establish best practises for privacy and security within the TPU, and implement these policies.

• ‘Meet a Patient’ Project Committee

  • A project which connects patients for peer support, including connecting patients who want a procedure to patients who have had that procedure.

• Assistance Committee

  • Message or meet with patients who require individual support navigating complicated and difficult health situations.

• Translation Committee

  • Help translate our resources, surveys, graphics and website into French, Spanish and Arabic.

• Complaints Committee (coming soon!)

  • A committee to support patients through the obscure and emotionally taxing process of filing complaint against with providers

The TPU is accessible at the point of use in French, and we are working to make it accessible at the point of use in Spanish and Arabic as well. As such, being able to perform translations, interviews, and workshops in those languages is a big asset. However, at the moment we internally function almost exclusively in English, so if you are unable to work in English this would present a serious barrier to your participation. We realize this presents a major accessibility issue for non-English speakers, and this is something we are still trying to figure out how to address.

The TPU membership is made up of a governance board, administrators, and staff members. The governance board decides the end goals and ethics code of the organization, and is elected annually by trans patients living in or receiving care in Montreal. The administrator is tasked with managing the staff, and is appointed and evaluated by the governance board. The staff members do the day to day work of running the organization.

We are finishing up our constitution at the moment and will have a copy publicly available soon.

After completing your application form, the first step in joining is an onboarding meeting with an administrator. At this meeting you can expect to discuss: our perspective on the problem of trans care in Montreal, the TPU governance and staff structure, the TPU’s ongoing projects, what projects may be a good fit for you, and the membership agreement. After that you will be onboarded by whichever committees you will be a part of by someone in those committees.