Hi, my name is Alex, and I am organising this fundraiser on behalf of my best friend, Laurel.

Laurel is a 27 years old out and proud trans man currently trying to live and access medical transition support in a country that is becoming hostile to his mere existence.

Laurel has known who he is since his early teenage years but due to unsupportive family (at the time, they're so much better now), transphobia and homophobia, Laurel had to spend many years in the closet for his own safety, only telling his closest friends that he was trans and was not able to live out and proud as the man he is. All this time spent hiding who he really is, took a serious toll on Laurel's mental, emotional and physical health, which reduced him to a shell of the man that he is and left him with struggles that he is still battling through to this day.

I am happy to say that Laurel is currently doing much better on that front, especially since he started his medical transition, he is happier, more comfortable and confident in his own skin, but even this has come with a price. Laurel has been on the waiting list with Sandyford Gender Clinic since 2020, and will likely not reach the front of the waiting list for an initial appointment for another 2 to 3 years, which is just not feasible for Laurel right now.

As many of you reading this will know, accessing transgender health care is becoming an almost impossibility at the moment, and accessing medical transition in the United Kingdom is getting harder with each passing day. Laurel currently lives and works in a beautiful and idyllic town, just outside of Glasgow. As you might not know, Glasgow is currently under a city wide LMC ban, meaning that while Laurel has received a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria from a private psychologist and started testosterone therapy with a private endocrinologist, he is not able to access a Shared Care agreement to receive NHS support with his testosterone prescriptions.

This means that Laurel is currently paying over £100 each time he needs to refill his testosterone prescription, and over £200 each time he needs to have a follow up appointment to ensure that he continues to remain the healthy, wonderful man that all of his friends know and love. At this time, Laurel is having to consider the option of stopping his hormone therapy so he is able to pay his bills and survive in a world that is trying to stamp him out.

The amount for this fundraiser has been calculated to cover Laurel's prescription and medical cost for a full year, ensuring that he never has to chose between eating and living as the man that he is.

Laurel is one of the kindest human beings I know, he would go out of his way to ensure that someone else has everything they need before he even considered taking something for himself. It took a lot for him to even consider letting me set this up to help him, because deep down in his heart he doesn't feel like he deserves it.

Lets see if we can prove to him that he does, and help him to continue experiencing trans joy in every day of his life.

Thank you in advance for anything you can help with,

Alex