Waiting times to have a first consultation after being referred to a Gender Clinic are measured in years, not in months. After a first consultation people then have to wait to be prescribed hormones, and then wait again longer for any surgeries they might choose to have. These waits are of variable lengths,1 2 and some people can be waiting for a decade to receive the support they need.
This situation means that many transgender people will use private healthcare services for at least some of their medical transition. It also means that an unknown number of people who cannot afford private healthcare will ‘DIY’ their transition – buying hormones over the internet.
A video essay about the state of trans healthcare can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1eWIshUzr8&t=4979s&ab_channel=PhilosophyTube
Trans Collective Calderdale 