Gender Affirming Services

It is your right to choose the way you express and identify your gender. We are here to support your journey.

SHIPS is guided by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) when providing treatment and support for transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming people. We adhere to global standards of care that are informed by evidence-based research.

We provide support for people to:

• Explore their gender and find a gender role that feels comfortable for them

• Explore social, legal and medical affirmation that might be right for them

• Manage any distress associated with marginalisation and discrimination or minority stress

We can provide assessments and written reports (requested by your general practitioner or surgeon) to:

• Assess/support suitability for hormone therapy

• Assess/support suitability for surgery (i.e., chest, genitals)

• Assess/support suitability for "aesthetic" surgery (i.e., facial restructuring, body contouring)

What makes SHIPS safe? 

• We educate all our staff on inclusive language and practice

• It is our policy to use gender-neutral language until we know your pronouns

• Our registration forms ask you to identify your name, legal name, pronouns, gender identity and other information we need to know to make you feel safe

• We have gender-neutral bathrooms

• We welcome any feedback on improving our services

Some useful information:

• Gender nonconforming refers to the extent to which a person’s gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex.

• Gender dysphoria refers to discomfort or distress that is caused by the discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth.

• Changing gender expression can involve social, legal, and medical changes. You have the right to explore your gender and express and represent it in a way that feels right for you.

Social changes can include:

• Letting people in a social environment know your pronouns (e.g., they, she, he)

• Letting people in your environment know your name

• Physically presenting yourself in a way that aligns with your gender in a social environment (e.g., through dress, makeup, hair (removal, cutting, dyeing), binding, tucking genitals, ‘packing’, voice training)

Legal changes can include:

• Legally changing your name, gender marker, title and pronouns so that it is reflected on all public records (e.g., Driver licence, Medicare card)

Medical changes can include:

• Hormone therapy to feminise or masculinise the body

• Surgery to change primary or secondary sex characteristics (e.g., chest, genitals, facial restructuring, body contouring)