Otis' Gender Affirmation Surgery

Hi, I’m Otis, I’m 18 and I’m transgender. My family won’t accept this and once I begin testosterone, I will no longer be allowed back home. I’m fundraising for help with top surgery, hormone therapy, rent and living expenses.


My maintenance loan doesn’t even cover rent, and I’ll have nowhere to live outside of term. I will need requisite funds to stay somewhere else, as well as funding for food and other necessities.


As well as the living expenses, to present myself authentically I feel the need to start testosterone, a sex hormone which will permanently alter my body to appear more “stereotypically” masculine. This would relieve a lot of dysphoria and help me pass as cisgender within my day-to-day life – something that would be absolutely life changing for me.


Gender dysphoria is a “condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there's a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity”. This discomfort and distress dictates my life. I live in one of two binders, a form of constriction of the chest tissue which can affect breathing, cause tissue damage (which can negatively affect top surgery), chest pain, etc., all in order to somewhat relieve the dysphoria that remains constant within my life. The only solution I feel that would correct this would be top surgery (in my case double incision). 


Despite saving for two years from my minimum wage job, I still need to raise  £8,850 to cover the following:

Starting testosterone £350 (£300 initial assesment and £50 for travel)
 
 Top surgery : £7000 (double incision)

Rent, Food and Basic Neccesities: £1500


I’m an aspiring script writer/content creator currently living and studying in the UK. For the past four years I studied acting at a theatre school within Birmingham, an open space of expression where I explored my gender though a variety of male roles and learnt the language to define myself. This queer space gave me the confidence to articulate my thoughts, and allowed me to come out to myself in a somewhat accepting place. Unfortunately, this acceptance doesn’t extend to my family environment. 


Even the smallest donation will help. Thank you so much for reading this and I’d really appreciate any help that could be given – it will help to change my life for the better.