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Find out how to get hormones and surgery in the UK
Gender Affirmation
Gender affirmation is a recent term to describe the process that individuals with affirmed gender identities take toward expressing their gender identities. Some people refer to this as ‘transition’ or ‘sex change’, but many people of trans experience find those terms misleading: changing ‘sex’ on identity documents or getting hormones or surgery doesn’t turn someone into a woman or a man, but rather helps people who are already men or women to express who they already are inside in a way that others will respect.
For various reasons, many people of trans experience choose to be ‘stealth’, refraining from disclosing their trans history or experience to others. While some people make this choice due to the fear of social stigma or discrimination, others choose to be ‘stealth’ because they do not have a ‘trans identity’ and consider it a private medical fact. For some people, this means living in an assigned gender that does not work for them, while for others it means living publicly in their affirmed gender without sharing their assigned gender history. It is important to respect people’s privacy and not to disclose someone’s trans history or experience without permission from that person. Just because someone has told you doesn’t mean they consider it public knowledge, however ‘juicy’ the gossip.
Body Affirmation
For some people with affirmed gender identities (i.e., people whose gender identities differ from their assigned genders), various kinds of medical intervention are an essential part of the gender affirmation process. Others do not undergo all, or any, medical interventions for health, monetary, religious, or personal reasons.
In the UK, you do not have to undergo any medical intervention to legally change your gender on identity documents and receive a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Regardless of whether a person ‘passes’- appears visually as their affirmed gender identity to you- it is important to respect that person’s preferred name, gender identity, and pronouns (‘she’, ‘he’, or ‘ze’).
Having surgery or hormones does not make someone more ‘real’ as a woman or man.
Some Medical Options
· Hormone Blockers: Reversible medication that delays puberty, usually used for trans teenagers
· HRT: ‘Hormone replacement therapy’ involves taking hormones- typically forms of estrogen or testosterone- to gain the physical characteristics associated with one’s affirmed gender identity. Various methods of HRT include gel, cream, patches, pills, and intramuscular injections; these some are taken daily, while others are weekly or bi-weekly.
· Male chest reconstruction surgery: Often called ‘top surgery’, this refers to various different kinds of surgeries that involve reduction or removal of breast and fatty tissue in the chest, nipple resizing and placement, skin excision, and contouring of the remaining skin and tissue to give the chest a typical male appearance.
· Vaginoplasty: Often called ‘lower surgery’, this includes various surgical techniques to construct a vagina and clitoris.
· Some affirmed men have enough natural growth of their former ‘clitoris’ from HRT that their new cock (referred to medically as a ‘microphallus’) changes in size and function enough to meet their needs, including penetration in some cases. Others choose from a variety of genital procedures, including Centurion, metaoidioplasty, and various types of phalloplasty. An affirmed man may identify as having a cock with or without surgical intervention.
· Some affirmed women have enough natural breast growth from HRT that their new breasts meet their needs. Others may select breast implant options.
· Some affirmed women get electrolysis or laser hair removal. Some also get rhinoplasties or tracheal shaves to make their faces appear more typically female.
· More detailed information will be provided in the future. Check back for updates!
Some Non-Medical Options
· Chest binders:
· Gaffe:
· Penile prosthesis: These are medical grade prosthetics used by some affirmed men, not ‘dildos’, ‘strap-ons’, or toys.
· Breast prosthesis:
New medical options emerge regularly. Trans listservs are often the best source of reliable information on the benefits and drawbacks of each method, as few doctors are updated about all of the available technologies.
Links coming soon!
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