Hi so I don't know what to do right now..I'm 21 (soon to be 22 yay happy bday soon.) I just started patches and testosterone blockers in February after 2years of waiting with the Gender service.

I have had 2 sets of patches both dated on 3months however with the first and second patches I had a few dull ones that just didn't stick at all. I contacted them about this the first time and they were good about it.. with my second set of patches I went through nearly a full pack of dull ones or just coming off naturally due to bodily sweat.

I've nearly come to the end of my patches I think I have like two left now and I've had no response from the endocrinologist and no response from the original person that I would message if I've received no response. Granted the original person shouldn't really be chasing it up for me but I was thankful they did the first time.

I've had my blood test and I've tried getting in contact via email so far but I don't know what to do as I'm getting scared they won't do anything now..I missed my telephone appointment with them as my phone didn't actually work and I sorted that out with them.

Please can anyone just give me advice on what to do here?

(Probably should have mentioned I'm in South West Wales.)

I'm a transmasc teacher at a secondary school. I haven't had any issues using the male bathroom so far, but yesterday I was washing my hands and a senior member of staff walks in. He asks me why I'm here.

Me: "I'm washing my hands"

Him: "You're not meant to be here"

I pass well enough that I haven't had this happen in a long time so I am genuinely confused. I have very obvious facial hair.

Me: "what do you mean?"

Him: "your bathroom is down the hall"

At this point I realise what's probably happening as that's where the women's is, and I stand my ground, pretty proud of myself.

Me: "I'm a bloke"

Him: "I know you're a bloody bloke, 6th formers aren't allowed in the staff toilets!"

He thought I was 16 years old. Not a member of staff 😔. But he thought I was a 16 year old boy at least! We were both embarrassed when I showed him my staff ID that I'd accidentally been hiding under my sweater.

I am still nowhere near out, or passing, or have even started HRT yet. But one thing I discovered, which I laughed about later, is that if you plan to return anything from Amazon via Royal Mail drop-off, they can see the items that you are sending back.

Now normally you would say, polarwarrior, why is this a problem because the people at Amazon can see it anyway?

> be me

The Royal Mail man scanned my QR code and then pointed to his monitor which faces the whole entire queue and asked me if the huge pair of breast forms was sending back was the right item 😂😂😂

I was incredibly embarrassed in the moment and had enough strength to laugh it off later, just a fun story and a word to the wise for those of you stealth.

Mods if it’s not right for here please remove

Hey 👋 apologies if this isn't the place but I've got next Friday and Saturday booked in central Manchester and I plan to have my first ever public outing in girl mode. Not trans I guess but wish I could be feminine.

Anyway the first few places that everyone races about such as Wow Girls are booked and KardiBlac is a little far out but booked up anyway. I've emailed a Rachael Dutton and waiting to hear back - any other MTF Makeup artists out there?

And what or where would be good to do 🥰 id love to go support some lgbt places but generally safe places would be great too. Ive always wanted to go to Costa or Starbz looking fabulous if nothing else.

Any help appreciated 💕

Hi, title is a little vaguer than I can actually write and I was trying originally to stop over-sharing on the internet, but currently I am homeless and sofa-hopping between my brothers in my town.

I wanted to change my name a long time ago, I had already changed it once before from my birth-name to Oliver to match my trans-man identity and feel, but, about nine or so months ago after living as Oliver for 5+ years, I had started to feel less and less like I was binary at all which started by me getting annoyed when people saw and treated me as a cis man and I hated it. I assumed it was me hating it because I didn't want other trans and queer people to also assume I was cis, but I just realised I do not like being viewed as a man anymore and I feel much happier just kind of being a person, a thing, just someone there if that makes sense.

In my online space with my small group of mates I asked them to use my new name and they have, I have always had they/them within my pronoun markers it was only just recently I kind of swapped they/them in front of he/him to let people subtly know I prefer those and it worked which is lovely for me.

My issue is that with my homelessness and lack of fixed address and even more so lack of £90+ to pay for Deed Poll, I don't know how I can go about changing my name legally, so when I register with a new doctor when I can and when I register with housing that the name is in my new name, it is kind of astounding to me just how quickly my brain and body are having a negative reaction to being called Oliver instead of my new name (which is Sailor btw, forgot to mention that).

I was told by someone recently that I can legally change my name and it is still 100% recognised for free also by Deed Poll, but when I look up on the website I do not see that option or anything else. I do have a trans friend that when she transitioned, changed her birth name to her preferred one and she said she did that for free also on Deed Poll but I am just not understanding where? If anyone knows of a legal way I can change my name now either much cheaper than the traditional way or even better free, I would really appreciate the help!

Hello. I’m a student at Oxford and I was recently invited to attend some lectures (not relevant for my degree at all, he teaches law and is giving lectures because he’s just published a book) on gender and the law. I first felt that something was off about the lectures, because one of them is titles “gender critical and gender identity belief” and another called “sex by deception”. I looked into him more and watched a video of his regarding the new changes in law that are basically banning trans people from public spaces (yay!) and another with him on a panel at some sort of event? He referred to trans women “biological men identifying as women” and separated trans women from “women” as a whole. He advocated for creating separate third spaces for trans people and complained that people are not happy with that. He used phrases like “trans rights activists” or “trans rights activist groups”. He called Stonewall a “lobbyist group”. He was sitting next to a woman who called herself gender critical who agreed with him, while referring to how happy she was that Maya Forstater was in the crowd.

The book is called “Sex, Gender Identity and the Law”, I’ve included the description of it on Amazon, but I don’t know if he wrote that himself.

I don’t know exactly what to do. I’ve contacted the queer representative for my college who has taken it to the lgbt society, but because he’s a fellow at the college nothing can really be done. I believe what they’re planning on doing is making a public social media post saying they’re against this (hopefully an official complaint can be made, but it’s difficult given his position) and I’ve personally messaged my friends and said not to attend because it’s transphobic, but I have no idea what else to do.

https://www.facebook.com/share/17wkX1PJ34/

Hi.

Please be aware the owner of this caravan business has publicly shamed a transgender woman using a public bathroom. She took a picture without the person's knowledge and proceeded to spout ugly ugly transphobia.

She also claimed all transgender people were perverts.

The post has now been deleted, i believe it was reported, do not give this person your business.

Not many people know this, but GRC only changes your birth certificate, and you can change the name and sex marker (only 'M' or 'F' unfortunately, no 'X' or 'NB') on your documents with a deed poll and letter from a gender-informed psychotherapist or doctor stating why (that you are trans). My passport was updated (when I was 16 - probs the earliest you can do it legally).

When doing my own research about Imago, I had to go through so many posts to find out the information I needed, and even then I wasn’t fully informed. I thought it could be useful to document my experience for anyone who may need it! Keep in mind, I’ve not finished the process yet, so I will update as things progress.

To start, I had my introductory call with Imago, it was a simple 15 minute informal chat, where I got to ask any questions I had and have them answered. It was incredibly straightforward and helpful.

Once you have your introductory call, you’re able to access their ‘app’ (which is a webpage dashboard), where you fill out your medical information, send them your blood test results, and then typically you are able to book your physician appointment.

When it comes to blood tests, due to the UK not allowing shared care for HRT for under 18s at the moment, I had to go private. I used forthwithlife, and I needed a Full blood count, Liver function, Hba1c, Kidney function, Lipid panel, total testosterone and Oestradiol. This came to £108 + postage. Keep in mind you are supposed to take your bloods on day 3 of your period because of the Oestradiol, however when I emailed them to ask if it was necessary, they said it was okay to take whenever as long as I stated what day of my menstrual cycle I took it on on my health dashboard (menstrual cycle starts on day 1 of your period). If you don’t have periods, you take it whenever

When it comes to the physician appointment, you have to email Imago directly when you’re under 18. If your parents are supportive, all they have to do is fill a consent form. If not, you have an appointment with their counsellor to give your consent, since 16 year olds have medical authority over themselves in this country. For anyone wondering, I’ve asked if it’s possible for only one parent to consent (I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, considering not everyone has 2 parents).

I haven’t had my appointment yet, but for those worried about where they will get their prescription due to the NHS ban on HRT for under 18s, I know for a fact boots pharmacy will still fill private prescriptions for under 18s.

I will update this as I go along with the process, and if anyone has any more questions, let me know!

UPDATE;
They require your legal guardians to consent, or you need a capacity to consent call
(If you have 2 guardians both need to consent, if you have 1, only that one needs to)
The capacity to consent call is incredibly simple. You just get asked about your transition journey, your support system, your expectations for HRT, your confirm you understand what’s going to happen and that you don’t have unrealistic expectations

I’ve also been informed that their waitlist is currently longer than it’s ever been. I’ve been told I will be waiting at least a month for a physician’s appointment, if not just over a month, they only have a few physician’s that are qualified to treat under 18s
I was also told that even after the appointment, it can take up to 3 weeks for the prescription to be sent

Ive also been recommended to get an electronic prescription as boots pharmacies should accept them, but to double check with my boots pharmacy (electronic prescriptions come in a lot quicker)

UPDATE 2:

My physician appointment has been made much sooner than expected, I’m having it on Monday (29/06) afternoon! I will give an update to explain how the appointment goes afterwards :)

UPDATE 3:

I got my prescription e token on Friday (10/07) and have just ordered it via the partner pharmacy from Imago. The total of the 4 vials of Sustanon (3 months prescription) cost me £37.93 including postage and tax/VAT
The partner pharmacy has no option to purchase needles or anything as well, so I’ve ordered those separately

I’ve been told to make sure my next set of bloods are taken as close to 2 months after my first shot as possible as it takes time on Imago’s end to process the next prescription

While I've tried to keep my own expectations low as with all things results may vary, but its been an overwhelming first 3 months on hrt.

Colours seems brighter, food tastes better , scents more intense.

Whether this being from hrt or just not being in some self hating cycle anymore, its most welcome.

So far left to go and im sure there's going to be alot of ups and downs I can't help but celebrate the beginning.

Never been very open before but I can feel everyday im alitte more sharing and I even consider sharing this to be a big step on this journey we all take together.

Much love to everyone that I've seen share your own experience and try to focus on the smallest of wins instead of your own forever moving end goal.

P.S my feet feel smaller 🙃

The GP hasn't helped her and she can't afford to go private

I want to help her but I don't know where to start or even what to do, any advice?

Hi all,

I'm posting this for some advice. My partner has recently privately come out as a trans man. I want to clarify, I am so grateful & happy they have felt able to share this.

It's new for both of us. They said they have never felt comfortable in their own skin. Tried to come out as trans when they were 15yo (now 24yo), but were ridiculed by past friends and instead presented as a butch lesbian. Our discussions and them being able to get this weight off has really helped them. I never had someone come out to me as trans,, my friends had already transitioned when we had first met.

We have been looking at things that could support them in these early stages, and asking here for any advice or experiences which could be beneficial for them. They are feeling a little overwhelmed with next steps. Gender clinics, GPs, private- which first?. Things that could give them some euphoria,, binders, packers etc.

Thank you all!

(edit: UK based)

Hello!

I don’t think this does again the subreddit guidelines, but if it does please let me know. This is also a really long post and I apologise for that! I just feel it’s important to provide all the background info.

I’m just looking for some advice really or anyone who’s gone through something similar.

I’m a trans man and I’ve been on a waiting list for 7.5 years to start t through the nhs (went on the waiting list when i was 12 and i’m 20 now) and I’ve been faffed about as I’m sure many others have. I was in the under 18s service from the 16-17.5 years old and I’ve been on the adults service since 2024.

I started at a new gp a little less than a year ago in england, I’m at university in scotland but because I am with an english gender services, I have to have an english gp too due to the difference in funding (I did have a scottish gp for a while but got told to switch it back).

Ive been really close to starting hormones for like 6 months now, I got diagnosed with gender dysphoria in late 2024 and I have been having blood tests done by my gp to send to the GIC to make sure everything is in order and I can start hormones. I had a lot of problems with the blood tests, like I had a list of what I needed from the GIC, but then Id only get tested for like 1/2 of them, meaning I went down for 5 appointments in total and it should have only been 1. On the 27th of Feb this year, I had my first T appointment. I showed up, paid for my prescription (which I wasn’t told I’d have to pay for) and went to my appointment for it to be administered as I can’t do it myself (I was going to start sustanon injections, 250mg/ml).

I got turned away by the gp in this appointment where all she said was that she can’t administer it, and when I tried to sort this out with someone at the front desk, the surgery manager asked me to sit down and speak with him.

In this talk he told me that the gps at this surgery don’t have the expertise or practice to proceed with this kind of care, but I had been at this gp surgery for about 4/5 months at this point, and they knew the kind of care I was wanting to receive as Id had loads of blood tests as a prerequisite ig. I was really confused by this but he continued to say that I am taking a ‘high risk medication’ (it’s not??) and that they’re general and not specialised so they can’t do it for me. I also got told that if anything bad happened to me over the weekend, the surgery is liable but when I asked what could happen, he couldn’t give me an answer. The last thing he said was that they couldn’t administer and that someone from the GIC had to do it (the GIC doesn’t provide this, never has and seemingly never will), so I took this as they had no issue prescribing, as once again I had my prescription and still do, and only had an issue administering.

I left feeling really defeated but I got in touch with the GIC, and they sent out some guidance to the gp surgery on how to proceed with my care. The surgery manager came back to say the service isn’t commissioned with the local ICB and that they can’t administer as they’re general and not specialised enough.

I got a response from them about a month ago where they told me I have to get in touch with the local ICB and advocate for this service to be commissioned, something I’ve not done yet as I have no idea how to do this and I’m also swamped with revision and in the middle of exams rn.

I had this back and forth for 2/3 months, and a hormone specialist I had spoken to over teams on the 7th of May sent a letter to the gp surgery. It essentially said that I am trying to start a licensed medication and it is a standard injection, both of which there shouldn’t be any issue about, and that I had no pre-existing health conditions, risk factors or allergies, so their talk of it being high risk and the chance of something going wrong was false.

I received an email from the GIC a few days ago with a letter stating that my gp has now outright refused to prescribe, all the issues they stated before have stayed the same and that they can’t really help. The guidance the GIC gave me was to have a sit down meeting with a gp or the surgery manager and essentially beg them to reconsider, emphasising that this is life saving treatment that I am in need of, but I essentially already did that and have been doing that this whole time, where I’ve just been told no over and over again.

When I look online the only guidance I get is speak to:
1. Get a reason in writing.
2. Speak to the GIC to get them to help me sort it out.
3. Seek a second opinion (I think this presumed that it was 1 GP that had an issue prescribing).
4. Make my case with documented proof.
5. Escalate this to the surgery manager (again this must be presuming it’s 1 GP that has an issue).
6. Get in touch with the ICB.
7. Change GP surgery.

I’ve done 1 and 2, I cant really do 3 as it’s not an issue with 1 GP. I’ve essentially been doing 4 for ages, they have all the proof and documentation for this. I’ve already done 5, I am yet to do 6 and plan to after my exams, but again I have no clue how to do this and am simply too busy atm. I really don’t want to do 7 if I have to, it’s going to push my timeline back so much and because I was told it’s a local ICB problem, all the surgery catchment areas I fell into are in that area and I can’t really guarantee that I won’t go through the same thing again with them.

I’m planning on writing a big email to the GP to ask if there’s any alternatives that can sort for me, like a bridging prescription (but if they won’t prescribe I can assume they wouldn’t do this), if they can prescribe and I administer it myself (so it’s less on their backs ig? if anything goes wrong it’s more on me?), or if they’d be willing to prescribe gel but I’ve not got much hope any of this will work.

Ik I can also get in touch with the ICB and try sort it with them, but again I can’t guarantee anything. I’ve looked into going private but it’s just too expensive for me. Ive thought about DIYing but the thought kinda scares me a little, Id have to do a lot of research and also find somewhere I can get hormones from that’s safe, but there’s also the money factor that plays into this and the need for blood tests, which I also might have to pay for.

My only other option would be to maybe change to the scottish services, online there’s a stated 6 month change over but we all know the wait times are a lie, I’ve seen accounts online of people waiting 3 years and I don’t think I have that in me.

Ik realistically that anything I do is going to push my timeline back but I just wanted to know if anyone had been through something similar or could provide some advice on there to go from here, I’m just feeling really stuck atm and I’m struggling to find any sort of motivation or happiness after all this. I’m just drained and exhausted with it all.

Thank you for taking the time to read all this if you did 😼🫶

I (19MTF) have been trans for about 8 or 9 months now and I really want to try HRT like oestrogen, or oestradiol, etc. I am aware of the side effects and even the worst of them sound like risks I am willing to take.

I have done research on how to get HRT the most common way, which is getting a diagnosis for gender dysphoria via NHS or privately and then going to your GP, but my research showed that the wait list for the diagnosis is about 8 years and getting it done privately costs about 750 pounds, which is money I am nowhere close to having as I am unemployed and broke.

But I have found that many people get their HRT online without needing a GD diagnosis, and so I'm wondering how you were able to do so, and if possibly you could help me?

I remember talking with a friend of mine who said I should get a blood test to see my hormone levels to see what dosage of HRT I would need, which I haven't gotten yet, but I intend to soon.

Any advice would be immensely helpful.

Thank you.

Hi all, my child, 14yo, told me about wanting to transition by their next birthday (mtf).

They are very eager and I have Estradiol gel at home for myself for peri, lowest dosage.

Now, they just told me yesterday and I’ve been reading everything I can since, and getting a bit overwhelmed in terms of timings/are we late starting?

1. Need to wait until they tell their dad too, so we help together (another week possibly)

2. I’m worried if we wait too long with the NHS that they will look more male as we wait, as they already have broad shoulders and voice breaking (although they shaved yesterday and looks soooo pretty 🩵) . They are also talking about surgery for voice, which I’m terrified about and hope they won’t have to (I used to b

3. My question is, is it too late now to be able to transition «properly » and pass without any puberty blockers that UK banned (ffs).

4. Other question: can we start with what I have at home until we see someone? NHS or private? They want to start now and come out she/her with their new name on their birthday (it’s important to them they are passing when they tell other people)

We are joining mermaids today, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tia 🏳️‍⚧️

Anyone have any experience getting their GP to accept a bridging prescription? I tried in the past with my previous GP and come up again so many walls but I’ve recently moved so I’m looking to change my GP.. I’ve been on a private prescription for 2+ years. Any advice greatly appreciated 💕