Trans Woman Wins Breast Implant Contest

Yesterday we expressed some concerns about radio station breast implant contests. However, one appears to have had a happy ending: new breasts to help a trans woman in her transition.

According to CTV, the winner of 90.3 AMP Radio’s “Breast Summer Ever” contest is Avery, who will now receive a free breast augmentation. Avery beat nine other finalists — all cis women who wanted implants due to cancer or body dissatisfaction — by a wide margin, receiving 76% of the vote. She says, “entering this competition and winning has helped me to such an extent I can’t even explain it.”

I still maintain that a contest isn’t the ideal way to get a major surgery — for instance, winning ties you to whatever provider offered the prize in the first place, which may not necessarily be the best fit for you. And ideally, health insurance would cover sex reassignment surgery. However, Canada’s coverage varies by province, and Alberta, where Avery lives, cut funding for sex reassignment in 2009. So winning the contest may have helped Avery get a surgery she couldn’t have afforded otherwise, and it’s hard to argue with that. The idea of voting on who “deserves” new breasts remains pretty strange, and ultimately, sex reassignment should be covered for anyone who needs it. But at least as of now, this looks like one breast contest with a happy ending.