Italian Health Minister Livia Turco said on Tuesday she will back a plan to give greater public support to people who want to have medical treatment to change their sex.
Europe's first transgender MP, Vladimir Luxuria, intends to present a bill to parliament that would extend the range of sex reassignment therapy available on the Italian national health service.
At the moment, the Italian NHS only covers the cost of genital surgery that alters a person's primary sex characteristics.
Other parts of the treatment, such as hormone replacement therapy, the removal of breasts for transmen, permanent hair removal, breast enlargement and facial feminization surgery for transwomen, are not covered.
"There is nothing scandalous about the national health service granting greater attention to transsexuals," Turco, a Democratic Left MP, told Corriere della Sera daily on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't say that everything regarding sex should be considered a right.
"But I think the hospital service should take responsibility of people who need to harmonize their bodies".
Turco added that she believes medical committees should decide whether to allow people to have sex-change surgery, rather than the courts.
The minister also supported Luxuria's campaign to enable transsexuals to legally change their registered gender, even if they have not undergone sex-reassignment surgery.
Luxuria, an MP for the Communist Refoundation party, which is part of Premier Romano Prodi's centre-left governing coalition, welcomed Turco's support.
"I realize many regions' health budgets are in the red, but we need greater care," said the MP.
"We must be allowed to achieve harmony between the physical and the spiritual.
"It is not a question of having free facelifts to look young and beautiful. We have the right to psychophysical health".
Luxuria, who was born Wladimiro Guadagno, considers herself neither male nor female, but prefers to be referred to as 'she'.
The 41-year-old, who is also an actress, has not had surgery to change her primary sex characteristics, but she recently had a double nose and breast enlargement operation.
Sections of the centre-right opposition blasted Turco's backing for her proposal Tuesday.
"Livia Turco's attitude could be considered a form of racism against normal people, against people with gender coherence," said Carlo Ciccioli, a psychiatrist and MP for the right-wing National Alliance party.
"If this is the situation, why not pay for operations requested by people who have psychological problems linked to their appearance? Why exclude people who just want to have their nose or breasts done because they don't like the way they are?
"It is not possible to create a hierarchy of psychological hardship. It's absurd".
Ciccioli also took issue with Turco's call for doctor committees to authorize sex-change surgery instead of the courts.
"The minister does not know her own field, because judges do not decide about sex changes on their own, they nominate expert psychiatrists or psychologists.
"So the medical teams already exist".
