Gender-Affirming Care - Natalie Allison

It feels so surreal to be typing this.

Hi, my name's Natalie Allison. There is a photo of me at the bottom of this page for anyone who has managed to stumble across this online. You might know me as the one who cares too much for everyone.

Just yesterday, I got transphobically abused by a group of men on my way into central London on the underground and no one did anything to help.

I am creating this Gofundme to help me raise money as part of my Gender-Affirming Care costs (That includes part of the cost of surgery). This is not funded by the NHS or the GIC (Gender Identity Clinic), and so in order to have it done I'd need to pay for it myself privately. The costs of which are extortionately expensive and unrealistic for the majority of trans people to pay. The total cost of which would be just under £15 000, which is just absolutely insane to me. I've had issues with the GP and NHS being incredibly unhelpful and unwilling to help me.

I have been out and living my life as a Trans Woman for the last 6 or so years. During this time, I have been doing voice therapy, which means that I have been training my voice, and have previously attempted to start HRT through an endocrinologist and a phycologist but was unsuccessful due to the extortionately expensive costs. All of which I have paid for myself.

However, despite my best efforts to attempt to fund everything myself, it has - very sadly - still not been enough to provide me with a level of safety and comfort to be able to walk down the street free from misogyny, transphobia, harassment and physical/emotional and verbal abuse.

And so this brings me to the present moment, where I am asking for your help. As someone who comes from a working class background, I absolutely hate asking people for money its something I hope I'd never feel the need to do again I prefer to give than to take. It makes me feel embarrassed and ashamed. But I genuinely cannot afford to keep pursuing the career I am pursuing, living in London and paying for this all by myself.

I just want to be able to exist in public spaces and not live in a constant state of anxiety, distress, and fear that something is going to happen to me or that I am going to be hurt by a complete stranger in some way, as I've been medically diagnosed with PTSD from past transphobic harassment and abuse towards me.

I am also aware that some people's reaction or response to this crowdfund may be something along the lines of: "Nat, I do not think you need this surgery." Or "But Natalie, you are already considered beautiful and so gorgeous."

And in response to that, I would like to say: Thank you so much! But this Gender-Affirming Care and these surgeries are not about "beauty". It is about my safety and eliminating my Gender Dysphoria. It is about reversing some of the harmful effects that testosterone had on me during my initial puberty. This is because it is those features about myself that make me unsafe and put me in danger.

I'm not sure how to end this. But I want to say thank you for everyone's love and support that I get constantly from everyone.

I am aware that finances are difficult for a lot of people at the moment, and so I just wanted to say that if you are not in the position to donate then that is absolutely more than fine. However, one thing that I would appreciate you doing is if you could please share this post with everyone and with as many people as you can it would mean the absolute world. This is because it will help me to raise awareness around my crowdfund and it might help to put it in front of the right people who are privileged enough to be able to be in that financial position.

Thank you, for all your love and support, it means the absolute world to me.

Natalie Allison.

x