Hi, hello, I’m Noah. I’m 31 and I’m a transmasc person living in the UK.

In the UK, we’re fortunate to have the NHS, but the NHS waiting times for gender-affirming health care are pretty rough. The average waiting time for the first appointment with a Gender Identity Clinic is anywhere between 3-5 years and at least another 2 years after that before being able to get surgery. Because of this, I’ve made the decision to go privately.

Basically, I need to get top surgery. I’ve been binding my chest for fifteen years now and I’ve reached a point where I simply can’t do it anymore. Binding for such a long time has had significant implications for both my physical and mental health and I can now only really manage it when I leave the house. This leaves me feeling super dysphoric anytime that I’m not binding, which is obviously most of the time.

Getting top surgery will finally allow me to feel normal in a body that has felt so foreign for so many years. It means that I’ll be able to enjoy my life in a way that I simply can’t do when I’m binding.

I understand we’re in a weird time and no one has any money right now, so there’s absolutely no pressure to donate. If all you can do is share then that in itself is amazing.