Alli's Transition
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Alli and I am a 22 year old transgender man from Northern Ireland. No two people's stories are identical. The same goes for the stories of transgender people. Some people know they're trans from a very young age while others take a bit longer to find their true selves. For me that period of clarity and realisation happened at the age of 16. I had always struggled with poor mental health and body image issues, but discovering what had been the cause of most of these issues was somewhat of a relief. Then the real struggle began. I won't bore you with tales of dysphoria or the depressing life of a closeted trans boy at an all-female Catholic school, but these were the realities I faced. And I faced them alone.
Fast forward almost 5 years, I finally had the courage to come out to my family and friends and am at long last seeking the help that I have so desperately needed for far too long. Every trans person has one thing in common - we all just want to be happy and live true to ourselves. And most of us just want to be accepted as the people we were born to be. For many of us this means transitioning to the correct gender. In conventional terms this often involves hormone replacement therapy, surgery and vocal coaching, depending on the individuals own personal needs. When it comes to transitioning many trans people struggle to get the healthcare and support that they so desperately need. It may be a case of not having the support of family or friends, being stuck on excruciatingly long waiting lists, living in a country that has little to no gender identity services or simply not having the funds to pay for the care they need. I, unfortunately, fall under a few of these categories.
As my mental health continued to worsen rather than improve, I was left with no choice but to seek private care. Many people are lucky enough to have the funds for private health care readily available to them, however I am not one of those people. I am already struggling financially and am currently unemployed as a result of my mental health, which is why I have started this page. Due to the lack of services in Northern Ireland I have had to seek gender care elsewhere in the UK. Currently I am receiving hormone replacement therapy through GenderGP, which is far from ideal but has quite literally saved my life. However, the financial strain of this often seems never-ending, from monthly payments for hormone prescriptions and a "subscription" to the GenderGP service to paying for private blood tests four times a year (unfortunately my own GP has refused to assist me with prescriptions or even blood tests so I am very much on my own with this).
Despite the financial burden of paying for this care I am unbelievably grateful to finally be medically transitioning - over the last year or so I have at last begun to feel a little bit more at home in my body and see glimmers of hope for my future everyday through the courage and inspiration of the other trans and queer people who I have been lucky enough to meet on this journey.
The next step for me in my transition is to have FtM top surgery. I will, once again, be seeking private care for this procedure, meaning further expenses and anxieties. As there are no surgeons on the island of Ireland who are willing/able to perform top surgery I will have to travel to mainland UK for this, which of course means financing safe travel and accommodation on top of the cost of the surgery, consultation appointments and post-op care. To date I have been able to raise a portion of the surgery cost through a couple of years of savings as well as my small business creating and selling accessories and artwork online, however I still have a ways to go before I hit my goal, so any and all help would be hugely appreciated!
My hope is that once I have had surgery, and am financially, mentally and physically in the position to do so, I will do all that I can to aid other trans youth in Northern Ireland in accessing safe medical care that will allow them to live as their true selves. As someone who has faced the struggles and anxieties of accessing private care and navigating government rules regarding name changes, GRCs and ID documents, I want to do everything in my power to help others who are struggling with these hurdles.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story,
Alli
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Other ways you can help:
My Shop Website
My Depop
Fast forward almost 5 years, I finally had the courage to come out to my family and friends and am at long last seeking the help that I have so desperately needed for far too long. Every trans person has one thing in common - we all just want to be happy and live true to ourselves. And most of us just want to be accepted as the people we were born to be. For many of us this means transitioning to the correct gender. In conventional terms this often involves hormone replacement therapy, surgery and vocal coaching, depending on the individuals own personal needs. When it comes to transitioning many trans people struggle to get the healthcare and support that they so desperately need. It may be a case of not having the support of family or friends, being stuck on excruciatingly long waiting lists, living in a country that has little to no gender identity services or simply not having the funds to pay for the care they need. I, unfortunately, fall under a few of these categories.
As my mental health continued to worsen rather than improve, I was left with no choice but to seek private care. Many people are lucky enough to have the funds for private health care readily available to them, however I am not one of those people. I am already struggling financially and am currently unemployed as a result of my mental health, which is why I have started this page. Due to the lack of services in Northern Ireland I have had to seek gender care elsewhere in the UK. Currently I am receiving hormone replacement therapy through GenderGP, which is far from ideal but has quite literally saved my life. However, the financial strain of this often seems never-ending, from monthly payments for hormone prescriptions and a "subscription" to the GenderGP service to paying for private blood tests four times a year (unfortunately my own GP has refused to assist me with prescriptions or even blood tests so I am very much on my own with this).
Despite the financial burden of paying for this care I am unbelievably grateful to finally be medically transitioning - over the last year or so I have at last begun to feel a little bit more at home in my body and see glimmers of hope for my future everyday through the courage and inspiration of the other trans and queer people who I have been lucky enough to meet on this journey.
The next step for me in my transition is to have FtM top surgery. I will, once again, be seeking private care for this procedure, meaning further expenses and anxieties. As there are no surgeons on the island of Ireland who are willing/able to perform top surgery I will have to travel to mainland UK for this, which of course means financing safe travel and accommodation on top of the cost of the surgery, consultation appointments and post-op care. To date I have been able to raise a portion of the surgery cost through a couple of years of savings as well as my small business creating and selling accessories and artwork online, however I still have a ways to go before I hit my goal, so any and all help would be hugely appreciated!
My hope is that once I have had surgery, and am financially, mentally and physically in the position to do so, I will do all that I can to aid other trans youth in Northern Ireland in accessing safe medical care that will allow them to live as their true selves. As someone who has faced the struggles and anxieties of accessing private care and navigating government rules regarding name changes, GRCs and ID documents, I want to do everything in my power to help others who are struggling with these hurdles.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story,
Alli
------------------------------------------------------------
Other ways you can help:
My Shop Website
My Depop
Organizer
Alli McKee
Organizer
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