Help Alex fund his transition!

The short version: without help, Alex will need to wait up to 5 years to even begin his medical transition, and up to 10 in total before he can get the life changing surgery he needs. Anything you can give will help hugely in permanently changing his life for the better, and giving him some of the quality of life that most of us take for granted. This fundraiser is being run and managed by Bronwyn, his flatmate, and there's a cost breakdown below to show you where the money is going.

 

 

 

 

The long version: This is Alex. He’s 30 years old, a designer, a writer, obsessed with plants, and an incredibly funny and kind person. He’s currently on the waiting list to be seen by an NHS gender clinic, but it could be anywhere from 2 to 5 years or longer before he even gets an initial appointment, and longer still until he can have top surgery. If Alex waits for NHS treatment, he’s looking at between 5 and 10 years before he can receive the life changing treatment he needs to feel like he can comfortably exist in his own body, something that he’s been missing his entire life.

 

The only way to avoid that long, soul-crushing wait for treatment is to pay to undergo the process privately, but there are just as many obstacles in that direction. Alex has been diagnosed with, and received treatment for, severe depression, complex post traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Because of his mental health he cannot currently work, and relies on ESA and PIP benefits to survive. Despite living on less than £10,000 a year, he’s managed to scrape together £2000 over the last two years to put towards his transition. Even so, at the rate he’s saving, he won’t be able to afford all the treatment he needs until he’s nearly 40 years old, which is why we’re reaching out to you.

 

If we manage to reach our fundraising target, Alex will be able to get the surgery he needs to start to be comfortable in his own skin, and his quality of life will improve drastically. If we raise even 10% of the goal, he'll be able to get the diagnosis he needs to start legally and medically transitioning - he'll be able to legally change his gender in an official capacity, and he'll have access to hormone replacement therapy, which is an enormous step forward for him.

 

Cost breakdown:

 

Private diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria: £3000

Your-GP is the only private provider of gender identity services in Scotland. I’ve allowed for 10 sessions due to Alex’s complex medical history, currently charged at £290. If we cannot access Your-GP’s service within the near future, we’ll look into online providers, which vary significantly in price points.

 

Gender reaffirming surgery (top surgery): £8000

Prices for top surgery in the UK vary from around £6000 to £8000 at the time of writing (November 2021), depending on where the surgery is performed, who performs the surgery, and the difficulty of the surgery itself. I’ve set our target at the upper end of that range.

 

Other associated costs: £1500

This is a buffer to cover things like transport to and from hospitals or clinics, hotel stays if Alex has to travel far for treatment, and any other unforeseen costs that might arise in the process. It will also cover GoFundMe’s fees for hosting the fundraiser, which are currently set at 2.9% of donations, plus 25p per donation. I’ve allowed for up to £500, based on the assumption that we’ll need to collect around 400 or more individual donations to reach the target.

 

Total cost: £12,500

Alex has already saved £2000, so this fundraiser is for raising the remaining £10,500.

 

If it comes to pass that we raise more money than Alex needs to complete these stages of his transition, we will keep the remaining funds for a full year after he’s discharged from his top surgery in case of complications or revisions. After that, we’ll donate any excess funds (and any interest gained from it) to charities that focus on improving treatment and wellbeing for trans people in the UK.

 

(Wondering who’s writing this? Hi! I’m Bronwyn, and Alex is my flatmate and one of my closest friends. I see firsthand every day the effects that living with gender dysphoria has on him, and even though I only see the surface, I can see how much pain it causes him. I’m setting up and handling the fundraiser on his behalf because I want to help him access the care he needs as soon as possible.)

 

Other ways to help:

The best way to help us directly is to please share this fundraiser as far and wide as you're able. More generally, please keep the wellbeing of transgender people in mind in the polling booth, and vote for reduced waiting times, more accessible treatment, and more education about the rights, experiences and struggles of trans people, and vote against transphobic initiatives and trans-exclusionary agendas. Voice your support loudly and proudly, and let the people you love know you've got their backs.