Is the UK a safe place to be Transgender in 2018?

I know from some recent Stonewall research just how bad things are, if you are trying to get on with your life as a transgender person in Britain today. 

It is known that in the last twelve months, two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident. I know because I was one of the statistics of an unsolved hate crime against me, while simply doing my weekly shopping in the town where I live.

Every day in the UK, transgender people continue to be mocked, excluded, bullied and attacked, simply for existing. I have personally tried with all my heart to make a successful transition, but at the moment I have real doubts on it being successful and I am now even considering de-transitioning on the grounds of my safety. (More on that in a future blog)

Now, other countries are openly agreeing that Britain is in fact an unsafe place for transgender people. How can that be? We were leading the world at one stage on transgender recognition and rights. But the other year, a tribunal in New Zealand granted asylum to a transgender woman from Britain on the basis that her life would be in danger if she returned to the UK.

This should by all rights be considered a national embarrassment, that this is where the UK is on it’s LGBT rights and acceptance.We simply cannot continue to call ourselves a world-leader in LGBT-inclusion, nor a beacon of equality for diverse communities.

It sadly appears that many of our mainstream media from newspaper articles to general social media all seem to have gone to the Donald Trump school of non common-sense.  I think they have in fact even stepped up a gear, over recent months in their attempts to make all the vile transphobia acceptable, even questioning the right of transgender people to even exist in their world.

We must make sure that this isn't something that is ever going to be open for debate, as doing so is giving the go ahead to these messages, that has a very real and devastating real-world consequences for transgender people who just want to live their lives.

Many trans people feel unable to be themselves because of this treatment, whether at work, using public transport or even just shopping for groceries.

Its sad new to hear that the woman recently granted asylum in New Zealand told the courts that she would have to wait until late night to shop for her essentials in Britain. I know we have started to do the similar I don’t thing of going shopping until 8:30pm  or 9pm on a quiet Monday evening. The woman did this so she would be around as few people as possible, because she felt too afraid and unsafe to be herself in public, which is how, I feel nowadays in the UK.

It appears that transphobia in Britain filters down into our children in the UK schools too.We have research that shows almost half of under 18 year old transgender people have attempted suicide, yet in the schools just two in five of the teachers condemn transphobic bullying which is very sad news.

I have read that towards the end of 2017, the government is planning to have a public consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act, which if done correctly has the potential to transform the current very invasive and bureaucratic system that governs how transgender people get legal recognition of their new gender. 

As a nation we cannot allow Britain to continue to be an unsafe place for transgender people its currently a unwelcoming and frightening place for transgender people to live work or play. The situation we are in today is totally shameful and avoidable. I only hope the up coming changes to the Gender Recognition Act will be a catalyst for a total change in the publics attitude to transgender people in the UK

Transgender Depression

Being out as a Transgender person is not an easy decision to make we all know that don't we some have a very difficult time others just appear to cope or do they? 

As a transgender person we face prejudice, insults and hate crime nearly every time we open the front door and venture out into the world around us. It's not surprising so many Transgender people are seen to suffer depression and mental health issues, if the general public had to live under the daily stress we have to function under they would suffer similar feelings 

Also not everyone is able or wants to transition…

This is a perfectly valid choice for people to make.  However these individuals must learn to cope with the tension that the gender dysphoria produces.  Sometimes this can be helped by having times when one can cross-dress, interact with others who are aware of one’s status, talk about the issue, and take low-levels of hormones (that don’t effect the body outwardly).

Other mental health issues not related to being transgender. Just because someone is transgender doesn’t mean they don’t have other issues in their lives.  It can be hard for some people to let themselves seek treatment for other issues when the gender dysphoria is so prominent a concern.

After two plus years of being finally me, I succumbed to the dreaded depression I had read so much about, my mental health was at a all time low. I became basically house bound and actively avoided going out with my partner (wife) to the shops or out socialising, so I knew I needed some medical help.

My normal gender friendly doctor at my surgery has left to practice overseas in Australia so there's no chance in moving surgery or country come to think of it, so I just booked in with the first available doctor at the surgery, by good luck or fate the doctor is Trans aware, and has other patients who are transgender. She immediately checked my past blood tests and just spoke to me on how I was feeling, which was the opening for me to discuss how I was feeling and what state I felt I was in. She listened and researched possible medication suitable for me.

The Doctor explained how long the medication would take to start to make a difference to my mood and feelings and she was spot on. Two months on I'm feeling much better and I have started to live again and regularly go out and about shopping and enjoying my time. I have recently been for interviews for different jobs and facing the world, after my old employer decided to close the place I worked at and concentrate on their main site. Sometimes you need that kick in the pants to refocus and start doing something different, it is that time for me.

Mental health is no secret and should be talked about openly, we all have periods in out lives that come under the mental health banner there is no shame in asking for medical help. In just a short period of time you can go from a depressed state to your old self, enjoying life and all it has to offer.

So if your reading this and feel depressed about your gender then please seek help and advice.

In the UK you can contact any of the links below to talk to someone.

Click here for Transgender support-organisations and here gender-identity-support-UK

There is also uktransinfo on facebook
www.facebook.com/groups/uktransinfo  
Email: info@uktrans.info

General support

Samaritans

Call 116 123 

Email jo@samaritans.org

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - for men

Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day 

Visit the webchat page

Papyrus – for people under 35 

Call 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm 

Text 07786 209697 

Email pat@papyrus-uk.org

laser hair removal update.

The laser hair removal was... well lacking would be the best word, it retarded the hair growth of the dark hairs but it failed to kill all of them off. So here I am looking in the mirror seeing the same old stubble every morning it's so unfair, but that's life.


My next move is to go for electrolysis which by all accounts hurts like heck and costs a bucket load of cash, The NHS England's list of approved electrolysis technicians and salons appears to sparse on the ground in my area, plenty in the larger cities and even some large towns but for me I will have to travel to get beard removal by this method.


My understanding of the process is an electric current is applied using a very fine needle-shaped electrode or metal probe into each hair follicle with the mission to destroy the hair's root.

It all sounds easily enough but hair grows in different stages: growing, resting and shedding. Because all of the hair isn't on the same stage at any given time, multiple sessions are needed to get to the hair removed stage. So in theory each 1" of skin area may or may not need 3 treatments to give you a smooth as a baby's bottom face. now to me that's expensive on the pocket and second sound like a lot of pain spread over quite a while. (If anybody reading this has gone through this treatment please leave me a comment in the section below and let me know how it is going or how good it is at removing face hair.)

Well I have now been to a specialist electrolysis hair removing clinic, and I can confirm it was painful without the anaesthetic cream, so when I book in to have the treatment I will have applied the anaesthetic cream in advance. I'm currently waiting for a NHS England white paper looking at the time that is currently funded by the NHS for electrolysis treatment before I commit to starting the beard removal as in the past is not applied to past persons, so you can lose out on the newer number of treatments the NHS will fund.

I remember reading about a transfemale saying to get the beard stubble started first and after living in role for over 2 years, I can now see what she was getting at. So I recommend anyone reading this blog, to look at beard removal early on as razor burn on your neck is a dead give away every day.

As soon as I start electrolysis treatment I will post updates to this page.

Manchester Sparkle

 

 

 

 



I have just bought this wonderful summer dress to wear to Manchester Sparkle in early July this year (2017) Weather permitting that is. Since the horrendous attack on the Manchester Arena this week (22nd May 2017) I'm more determined to attend the Sparkle event than ever before.


Manchester is a fantastic city with some great places to visit and see, the Manchester people are strong and always pull together when facing adversary of any kind. This terror attack will be handled in the same way that Mancunians have done so for years. This is not the first explosion to rock the great city. “We won’t take defeat and we don’t want your pity” is a phase you will see in the UK press and on the internet and its just about sums up this proud united city.
Tony Walsh a self-styled Longfella recited an ode at the recent vigil gathering in the cities centre. thousands were in attendance.

"We keep fighting back with Greater Manchester spirit
Northern grit, northern wit, and Greater Manchester’s lyrics
And these hard times again, in these streets of our city
But we won’t take defeat and we don’t want your pity."

 

Everyone at the vigil gathering roared their approval, and there was prolonged, heartfelt applause as he finished the ode. His words have now gone viral across social media around the world, capturing a moment that summed up the mood that evening.

The city is open for business and the Transgender Sparkle event is just one event in the city that will continue to happen in and around Manchester regardless of terror attacks or any threats. Sparkle will once again take place in Sackville Gardens, Manchester in 2017 as follows:

• Sparkle Fringe        1st to 7th July 2017
• Sparkle Weekend   7th to 9th July 2017

 

The Sparkle event is open to all to attend you don't have to be LGBT just human (I think and that's flexible by the sounds of things :-))  So get your party pants on and get down or up to Sparkle Manchester 2017 it's going to be great, and even greater if more than last year turn out to support Transgender people.

 

 

 I think People think a person just wakes up and decides to be transgender…

 

 

 

 

The newspaper headline reads, “Gender identity clinic services under strain as referral rates soar” like it is our fault we identify as transgender.
Such headlines sell papers and get airtime I guess but there is another side to headlines like that, as the funding for all NHS care becomes squeezed and people are denied care and treatment for various conditions. It is easy to target a venerable sector of the population isn’t it? (In the UK approximately 650,000 people that’s about 1% of the population, are estimated to experience some degree of gender non-conformity)

 

With some new GIC patients waiting up to four years for appointments figures show referral increases of up to several hundred per cent. The increase in referrals to gender identity services runs parallel with society hopefully becoming more accepting of transgenderism.

 

The number of Britons seeking gender identity treatment has shot up dramatically in recent years, leaving vulnerable people waiting years for a specialist appointment. They unfortunately become trapped in a situation that can be devastating to them and their families. Most GP’s will not know or understand what this situation feels like to the transgender person, just waiting having their whole life on hold. Waiting for the first of many appointments with months between each appointment and medical evaluations and assessments made before any hormone treatment is granted only then can the transgender person start their slow transition from male to female or female to male. There is the additional period of living in role that has to be completed on top of the wait to see the Consultants in the GIC’s.

 

It is not a short journey you embark upon when you identify as being in the wrong body, it is not a whim or a phase this rise in the numbers of people seeking to transition it is just human development.  As we all develop a greater understanding of who we are and how we feel, and how we should be viewed in the world by everyone else,  plus the development of western society to move away from the binary thought of male/female, to having a third gender where we accept that a person is able to change from one gender to another in order to continue to live.

 

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal increases in the number of referrals to all of the UK’s 14 gender identity clinics (GICs) in recent years, with a number of clinics experiencing increases of several hundred percent.

 

At Charing Cross in London, the oldest and largest adult clinic, the number of referrals has almost quadrupled in 10 years, from 498 in 2006-07 to 1,892 in 2015-16.

 

A clinic in Nottingham reported a 28-fold increase in referrals in eight years, from 30 in 2008 to 850 in 2015. It expected this to increase to more than 1,000 referrals during 2016.

 

The Laurels clinic in Exeter has seen a 20-fold increase in referrals in a decade, from 31 in 2005-06 to 636 in 2015-16.

 

Referrals to Sheffield’s clinic went up from eight in 1998 to 301 in 2015.

 

At a GIC in Leeds, referrals tripled from 131 in 2009-10 to 414 in 2015-16. The increase put such a strain on the service that last October it estimated that new patients would have to wait four years for their first appointment.

 

While the clinic in Daventry, Northamptonshire, which I attend, has had a five-fold increase in the past year alone, up from 88 referrals in 2014-15 to 466 in 2015-16. The latest figures released by the trust shows that most people attending their first appointment with the clinic this month had their referral accepted over 40 weeks earlier.

 

My only hope is that the government doesn’t put the squeeze on the funding that covers the gender clinics as suicide rates in the Transgender community is already way to high and cutting the funding for clinics, medication and surgery will leave people feeling all is lost and suicide an answer to their sufferings, which we know it isn’t. 

 

Leaving the EU and triggering article 50 may have an impact on the lives of transgender people living in the UK, It’s down to the UK government to raise the bar on Equality and set an example for the rest of Europe to look up to and to follow. 

 

 

 

Gender Identity Clinic’s UK first appointment.

 



Your first appointment will normally be an hour and you will be doing a lot of talking. You will talk about how you feel about your gender and your body, about what you want out of transition, what you expect to happen and when - there are no wrong answers.

It’s just to prep you for the process ahead. You will talk about your transition so far, so if you have officially changed your name amended your driver’s licence passport informed work or made any other efforts toward transition, then take all the evidence you can to support your case. I found it useful to write an open letter detailing from early years to present day, showing feeling and events that confirmed how I felt and whom I should be.

There is quite a bit differences between the FtM and the MtF pathways, so I cannot really explain from first hand experance at how it might go if you're FtM.

But the common areas will be you will need to be booked in for blood tests and a psych evaluation, and then sent another appointment for about 3 to 6 months’ time. I travel to my clinic, which is 135 miles each way by road. I get all my blood tests done in my own surgery practice and send the results back to the GIC, or I will perhaps take them with me on the next appointment at the GIC.

Your experience will vary depending on your needs, everybody is different and your disposition, where you are in the whole process and the outcome you wish to receive is taken into account.

The treatment you will get does make a big difference to your pathway. If you are after hormones and hormone blockers, (FtM people may be more hoops to jump through I don’t know.) However, everybody has to undergo about 2 years real life experience (RLE), and possibly additional requirements to fulfil for longer if the GIC thinks you need it.

To the best of my knowledge, the pathway is nothing like clear-cut, I have read many conflicting recollections from people and each experience differs to the next.

It used to be that clinics were reluctant to prescribe/refer people if there were not clearly identified 'gendered' outcomes to aim for; this was due to the irreversible effects from the treatment. People who go into the process without a clear picture of what their desired outcomes are, tend to bounce around the system for much longer. So from your first appointment have a clear understanding what you want from the appointments and the GIC.

 

Is surgery on your list? If so, have a clear understanding what is involved and how you go about it. The GIC’s like everybody to be 100% sure before and medical assistance is offered they have targets you need to meet or hoops the gatekeeper’s demand you full fill. In fact, they like us to be really really sure, before any medical/surgical intervention. The surgeons will have additional waiting lists for the operations, so if you are requiring full surgery make sure you are within the agreed BMI range the surgeon needs you to be within it is for your own benefit. (Just search prolapse womb on google) Not nice… and being above your BMI raises the risks significantly.  

Another question many others and I asked is what to wear?

There is no set dress code as I can see, but they do expect you to be “fully” expressing your chosen gender as soon as possible. So being male to female I always made sure I’m dressed correctly for a female, either smart wear or casual, but I always have to feel comfortable and at ease first in whatever I have chosen to wear. Don’t worry too much was a comment I got and be yourself… I took they were referring the new female me and not the old male me! The GIC’s generally expect you to be full time living in the chosen gender within 12 months (or sooner) of your first appointment at the GIC.

Don’t self-administer medication and buy from the internet, the GIC’s really frown on such activities as the medication is unknown and unmonitored and you can damage your body which in turn will then take you longer to achieve the results you were after. Hormones do so much to your whole body so wait as the GIC’s request you do, when they are happy to prescribe hormones and blockers they will. It’s like changing a Mini to a Rolls Royce both are cars but totally different in every way so is the male and female bodies, you would expect a DIY’er  to do the work nor do the GIC’s so don’t mess…

 

 

Have a look at this NHS page for official info from the NHS.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gender-dysphoria/Pages/Treatment.aspx

 

Having a ball...

Enjoying summer in the UK... It's always different every day, other countries can more or less guarantee their summer weather, but not hear in the UK my Dad would often say as I was flying through the door, take a coat with you... if it's raining please yourself, it still makes me smile as I tell my children the same thing and they reply in a similar way that I did haha.

We are just not set up for anything above the mid to late 20's centigrade every year we wish for a dry hot summer and as soon as it arrives we wish for cooler weather. What I wasn't ready for was the difference I found this year with my hair extensions on my head! Would you put a tight fitting woolly hat on in 30'c+ heat? Well with a full head weave you have just that going on 24/7. There is nothing you can do during the day, and certainly nothing you can do when you try to sleep. Shopping in a large store with air conditioning really helps for a short time since we don't have air con at home that's the only time during a heatwave I feel normal again, well if scouting the store for the cool breeze is normal😜.
On saying that I do love my hair extensions and I'm very happy with my hair length and style even this unseasonably hot Brittish weather, I guess I'm having a ball as Nicola.

Gender Identity Clinic and Gender Recognition

In 2014 we saw the most significant changes to gender recognition in the UK since the Gender Recognition Act was enacted in 2004.

This was because England, Scotland and Wales made it legal for couples that are legally the same sex to get married.
Before these reforms, couples where one or both partners were seeking gender recognition had to end their marriage or civil partnership first. With same sex marriage legalised, some couples in this situation can remain married or in a civil partnership. This for me and my partner was a big deal changer, as we have been married for 33 years, a long time and divorcing each other was never on the table for us.
This has of course also had a significant impact on transgender people in the UK also; I think the whole system for treatment was not ready for the knock on effects as the Bill was passed. At the gender Identity Clinic I attend in Northamptonshire they have seen referrals go from 70 per year to 70+ per month with the waiting time increasing for patients. The released figures show less than 21 weeks for the first appointment I actually waited 29 weeks and I guess others are going to see longer waiting times in the future.

However, saying that… the service I receive at the clinic is totally fantastic I couldn’t wish for better and a person going privately at a clinic wouldn’t get better the Northamptonshire clinic is NHS England funded and like most if not all NHS services its stretched to breaking point.

I see two consultants Dr Khoosal and Dr Timmins who is a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, at the Northamptonshire clinic.

Dr Timmins

Dr Khoosal

Dr Timmins has worked at Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust since 2001 and began treating gender identity disorder in his neuropsychiatry practice having gained experience of gender and sexual dysfunction in acquired brain injury.  Dr Timmins is Director of Medical Education for Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust.

The clinic is often attended by doctors in training as well as senior non-consultant grade doctors. I have first hand experience of having a room “full” of medical staff at my recent appointment, its quite intimidating, but they are all professional and put you at your ease very quickly.

The administrative organisation of the team is led by Jeanette Clark who has been responsible for the clinic Co-ordination since 2008.  She provides a friendly and usually immediate response to any client contacting the service.

I can’t speak highly enough of the specialist’s and staff at the clinic in Northamptonshire, being transgender is never easy but the people at the clinic are very understanding and none judgemental I would rate them as outstanding in the care they have offered me.

The clinic is easy to find and parking is free, and I have always been able to park which is unlike my local hospital in Cheshire where it’s a total lottery if you get a parking space. The Northamptonshire Gender Service is based at Danetre Hospital, Daventry.

Northampton Gender Identity Clinic

 

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Denetre Hospital
London Road
Daventry
Northants
NN11 4DY

Telephone: 01327 707200

Email: genderclinic@nhft.nhs.uk  

Website: http://www.genderclinic.northants.nhs.uk/ 

Further Information

Lead Clinician: Dr Byran Timmins

Responsible NHS Trust: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The Clinic has a Cafeteria next to the unit, with coin operated machines for out of hours and a staffed café /restaurant serving during key hours. It’s a friendly open area, especially if you arrive early or are waiting for someone in the clinic. I must say the whole place is clean and it doesn’t look or smell like a hospital… 

The beauty for me is it’s a couple of hours plus drive south for us and we lived previously in the nearby town of Brackley the home of Mercedes F1 and others. So we know the area very well and visit the town’s shops as well as other villages and towns in the area.

On the way to Brackley we normally pop in to the Heart of England Pub/Hotel in Weedon Northampton NN7 4QD Northamptonshire for a meal, if we don’t eat at the hospital (that is)the pub does good inexpensive food, with a wide choice from the menu the staff have always been OK with me and my family which is always good to hear isn’t it. Being Transgender you hope for this, but occasionally you don’t get it in public places.