GRS Wales Blog

This Week On - Sky Real Lives - SkyStyle
Friday 9pm on Sky Real Lives

Crossing gender is the most dramatic journey of all. This two-part special is an up-close and personal series of first-hand accounts from transsexuals about changing genders.

It’s also an insight into how far medicine has come in fulfilling the dreams of people who were born in the wrong body.

In the first Episode, Sky Real Lives looks at From her to him.

Annah wants to be a rock star. But there’s something she has to take care of before she reaches for the stars. Annah is flying to Montreal for sex reassignment surgery.
As you’ll see, in the beginning, Annah was Adam. Joining her for this moment of truth is ex-wife and best friend Cindy.

Friday 9pm on Sky Real Lives channel 253

It’s hard to believe that this time last year I was recovering from my Gender Surgery in Leicester Nuffield Hospital, so today is my 1st “re-birthday” and I would like take this opportunity to thank all those I know for the wonderful cards I’ve received today, thanks everyone, you know who you are

So i’m off now, as I’ve not long got home from work, to enjoy myself, ciao for now

Synopsis

S/He: Changing Sex and Changing Clothes (Dress, Body, Culture) (Paperback)

Through an examination of the experience of transsexuals, this book enhances understanding of how gender can and does function in powerful, complex and subtle ways. The author, who has herself been surgically reassigned, has conducted extensive interviews with transsexuals from many walks of life. Her personal experiences, which inform this book, have given her an access to her subjects that others would likely be denied. While highlighting how the gender identity of transsexuals relates to hormonal and surgical changes in the body as well as to changes in dress, the book investigates the pressures and motivations to conform to expected gender roles, and the ways in which these are affected by social, educational, and professional status. Differences in the experiences of those who change from male to female and those who change from female to male are also examined. Sex reassignment has been the focus of considerable media attention recently, as increasing numbers of people feel able to talk frankly about their personal experiences with gender dysphoria. Strides with medical technology have given transsexuals new opportunities in their lives.

This book provides unique insights into how these changes are seen by those people most affected them.

1. Ensure you have the full support of your GP and of any other specialists you have been seeing. If your GP is unwilling or unsure about prescribing hormones or referring you for surgery, consider changing your GP. You can do this through your local Family Practitioner Committee (look in the phone book) who should be able to find you a sympathetic GP in your area.

Remember that a fund-holding practice can decide for itself whether to pay for gender reassignment for a patient. If it’s sympathetic, you are home and dry; if unsympathetic you have little chance, unless you can persuade them to change their minds - it’s probably easier to change your GP.

2. Go and see your MP. MPs can have enormous influence in individual cases like this, and are often successful on their own in getting a decision not to fund reversed. Don’t write - go to his or her surgery and talk to them face to face to ask for their support.

Click here to read the full article What to do if refused funding for gender reassignment | Press For Change

BBC - Radio 4 - Gender Dysphoria
In 1934 Bernadette was diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria a condition which in those days was barely heard of never mind understood.

Her parents were advised by medical professionals to “make a man of him” or he would become homosexual.

I can’t believe that in ten days time it will be a year since I had my gender surgery by Mr Tim Terry, the year has gone so fast and with only one miner niggle and no other problems at all.

Everything is really coming together now the laser treatments are certainly working and I feel so much better in myself, it seems like only a few months ago since I was travelling to Leicester and have my surgery, I just still can’t believe it’s a year, wow.

I must say thank you to everyone who has and who still are supporting me and the work that I am doing trying to get the Health Commission Wales (HCW) to get of their preverbial fat backsides and help those diagnosed with gender dysphoria with some sort of funding for surgery, but at the present it still seems like we are all banging our heads against a brick wall, as there is still no sign of them actually budging on their bizarre ideas of there been no “clinical need” for surgery, but, the fight goes on..