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I waited 3 years for NHS gender care. 137 weeks longer than the 18 week referral to treat time to be precise. This is a long and personal thread about that, I hope you read it.
I delayed getting a gender referral due to fear and stigma around being trans. I had already done about 3 years of solid questioning and research when when I finally did approach my GP. At this point my dysphoria was unbearable and it felt urgent.
I was put on a waiting list & told I would likely wait 12-18 months. In the time I waited my physical and mental heath progressively declined. I dropped out of medical school, I found myself with chronic pain, I stopped exercising due to dysphoria. I was desperately unhappy.
Unlike many trans people, I was privileged enough to be able to save money myself and access private care in the States in 2018. This care completely transformed my life and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe it as life saving.
Last week I found out I was eligible to be pulled from the NHS waiting list I was on and access an early appointment at @56deanstreet ’s new TransPlus service. Today, a week shy of being on the NHS waiting list for 3 years, I got my first appointment with gender services.
My appointment was, like all my experiences with Dean Street, one of the most respectful and easy interactions with healthcare I have ever had.
Nobody misgendered me. Nobody assumed things about my gender or my body or my preferences. Every question was asked with care and understanding of how sensitive the topic can be.
My voice meant something today - I was listened to and told that it was me (the expert in my gender) that would lead my interactions with this service. The priority of the consultation was my comfort, I didn’t once worry that saying the wrong thing might jeopardise my care.
There was solidarity about the pain that waiting lists can cause. There was awareness of intrusive nature of trans care. There was utter trust and confidence in the validity of my personhood. More than anything, this service felt kind.
If you’re trans you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I felt believed, and I felt seen. I left this appointment and started to cry in the street. I think because of the kindness, and all the waiting, and all the trans people who don’t make it to the end of their wait.
I hope this model will be embraced everywhere. I’m feeling very lucky today- that I am alive, and happy, and surrounded by support. I will never stop fighting for everyone to make it here. 
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