Hiya,

My name is Astra and unfortunately, life in the UK has gotten worse for young trans people. They are trying to prevent access to HRT and the like for those 25 and under and have been suggesting some rather sinister roadblocks to those who are over 25, namely suggesting conversion therapy before access to gender-affirming care, and just straight-up blocking access to those who are neurodivergent. Additionally, the report disregards any positive effects that gender-affirming care has on those who transition whether medically or socially, I will leave some links to a few rebuttals of this so-called study at the bottom. All this coupled with rising trans hate-crimes has made me fearful of a country I once used to love.

I am fortunate that with some assistance and luck, I can leave the UK and go somewhere with a fair more support and around people who love me for me, something I lack in the UK. My partner and their family have welcomed me with open arms and, should I be able to do so, I will be able to move to Australia and live and work there.

I currently work and am slowly building my funds, but it is at risk of taking me multiple years due to the cost of living in the UK and the sheer fact that I don't earn a lot. On top of this GoFundMe, I will continue to work and save as much as I can, in tandem with my streaming on Twitch where all resources I get from it are also going to my plan to leave the UK.

The main roadblock is the Visa, which costs 8,850AU$, approximately £4,500, the additional headroom is mostly for moving expenses and the tests and examinations I would need during the application process for said Visa. Annoyingly a lot of the costs are hidden from plain view so this is at best guess.

I do apologise for the placeholder image, I'm not overly confident in my appearance but I will see about updating it soon.

Thank you for your time.

Additional April 2025

The UK government decided to declare that trans women are not women. See Here . This only adds to my reasoning to want to escape and GTHO of here. The UK is becoming increasingly unsafe and hostile, and it's effectively leading me to live a double life. Whilst at work, or out and about, I appear rather masculine, only getting to be myself at home, online, or in spaces I know are safe, like homes of friends and the like. It's gotten to the point that I am back on strong antidepressants just to get through life. I have been building up my savings to add to things I have, and diverting 90% of my Twitch income to this as well, but I fear it isn't enough. My lease expires in March of 2026, ideally, I'd like to be out at that point. I aim to pursue a Subclass 417 Working Holiday Visa, which is a lot cheaper to obtain and quicker. The main stipulation is to have around 2,500 in savings, plus enough for a flight back to the UK (Which I hope I will never need) and the fee for the visa (£325). Another thing I'm going to need is to renew my passport as it is due to expire within the next 2 years, and that's not good. That alone will cost me £95.

Cost Breakdown:

£2,500-£3,000 - Backup funds required for visa.

£325 - Visa Application Fee

£1,000-£1,500 - Flight to Melbourne from London Heathrow £1,000-£1,500 - Backup Return flight fee if needed (Hopefully not) £95 - Passport Renewal Fee

Possible Costs:

£500-? - Shipping of personal items (Monitors, Servers, Irreplaceable Items)

£500-£600 - End of Tenancy cleaning (I struggle with cleaning as a whole...fun)

? - Any extra tests or documents required by the Visa process.

I wish I could be more detailed with the costs, but the goalposts seem to constantly move...sorry

My Explainer: HERE (This was written whilst emotions are high, so may be a bit rambly)

GenderGP Response: HERE

Amnesty Response: HERE

TransActual Press Release: HERE

Growing up Transgender Response: HERE

My Twitch, if you want to hang out and chill with some swing: TTV