A trans woman, Maya Osa has voiced her anger at being told she will have to pay £18,000 or wait six years for a gender-affirming op on the NHS.
Maya Osa, 24, originally from Southampton, said her situation was ‘unethical’ and ‘horrible’.
Osa, a community event organiser, always felt that she ‘did not belong’ in her body but really started to question her gender identity during the Covid pandemic in 2020.
She was mistakenly called ‘madam’ by a shopkeeper because of her long hair and the fact her mask hid her stubble.
Following this, Osa decided to change her pronouns and name before starting hormone treatments to make her look more feminine, despite the lack of support from her strict ‘transphobic’ Muslim family.
While Osa, who now lives with her partner in Bristol, enjoys having a rounder face, growing breasts and thicker thighs, still feels ‘uncomfortable’ in her body.
She wants ‘bottom surgery’ to remove her penis and testicles and get an artificial vagina instead.
When Osa started seeking taxpayer-funded gender care, she was shocked to learn that it could take six years to even get an appointment.
As such, she decided to start paying for hormone treatment privately.
‘I was like, “Oh my god, these waiting lists are, like, three, four, five years long, just to get your first appointment”,’ she said.
‘And then you might have to wait years for a second appointment.’
Vaginoplasties are offered on the NHS but only via referral from the health service’s specialist gender identify service, which has lengthy queues.
Osa, who says being trans is ‘really hard, added: ‘I either have to wait until my 30s to be seen and finally have the body I want or I spend an insane amount of money.
‘It just feels so unethical the amount of money and time you have to wait to get treatment as a trans person.
‘It’s horrible, it really is.’
She claimed she was desperate to have the op, feeling ‘trapped’ due to her gender dysphoria and her lack of funds.
Os said: ‘I was already dealing with a lot but now that I’ve been on hormones for two years and the dysphoria for my genitals has become so strong, I do really want it.
‘It’s incredibly frustrating and there have been so many times where I’ve cried about this.
‘Feeling uncomfortable in my body is not a good feeling and not being able to do anything about it because I have to wait for so long or because I don’t have the funds makes me feel trapped.’
Osa has launched an online fundraiser for £13,000 to get the vaginoplasty privately, with the remainder coming from her own savings.
Osa grew up in a large south Asian family in Southampton said from an early age she felt more comfortable spending time with girls and would sneak into her parents’ bedroom to apply make-up and lipstick.
‘I’ve always felt that I did not belong in the body that I was born in,’ she said.
‘I just preferred being with the girls and felt like I was one of them.
‘When I was younger I would sneak into my mum or my aunt or my nan’s room while they were downstairs and I would, like, put on some lipstick and then rub it off.’
But it was not until June 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic, when she visited a charity shop in Bristol and was addressed as ‘madam’ that she was prompted to begin her transition.
‘I had grown my hair out and even though I had facial hair at the time, it was hidden by my mask,’ she said.
‘The lady at the counter misgendered me and called me “Madam” and I was like, “Oh, I kind of like that”.
‘It was absolutely a realisation moment.’
After changing her pronouns and name and paying almost £1,000 in private appointment fees for hormone therapy over two years, she finally started to see results.
‘Your emotions and physical appearance change so much – it feels like you are going through a second puberty,’ she said.
‘What I’ve noticed is that my face is so much rounder which makes me feel good.
‘I’ve got fuller cheeks and the obvious one is that I’ve got boobs now.
‘My thighs are also thicker, so like it changes your body shape to a more feminine kind of look.’
Her fundraiser has already secured over £1,000 something that Osa said she was incredibly thankful for.
‘I’m so, so grateful for everyone who has donated,’ she said.
‘I obviously don’t have any support from my parents, so it’s the only way I can go about it.
‘I’m so immensely grateful to have the support.’
Brits seeking to change gender aren’t the only ones suffering from extended waits for NHS care.
An estimated 7.61millon patients in England were waiting for procedures like hip replacements and cataracts surgery in November.
Of these over 350,000 patients had been waiting a year to start treatment.
Cutting the NHS backlog, which soared to new heights in the wake of the disruption of the Covid pandemic as the health service prioritised tackling the virus, has been a key promise of PM Rishi Sunak.
What is the process for accessing gender-affirming surgery in the UK?
In the UK, the process for accessing gender-affirming surgery typically involves several steps. Here is an overview of the general process:
Referral: The first step is to be referred to a Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) by a primary care physician. At the GIC, a clinician, usually a psychiatrist, assesses the patient for gender dysphoria.
Assessment and Diagnosis: Once at the GIC, the patient is assessed for gender dysphoria. Upon reaching a diagnosis of gender dysphoria/incongruence, the patient may be referred to a surgical team for gender affirmation surgeries.
Real-Life Experience: Before gender reassignment surgery (GRS) can be provided, the individual is typically required to have lived in a social role appropriate to their gender identity for at least twelve months.
Surgical Consultation and Treatment: After the necessary assessments and referrals, the individual can then proceed to a surgical consultation and, if appropriate, to gender-affirming surgery.
It’s important to note that the process may vary for each individual based on their specific circumstances and the guidelines of the healthcare providers involved. Additionally, private healthcare options are available for those who may not want to or are unable to wait for treatment through the NHS.
For more detailed and personalized information, individuals seeking gender-affirming surgery are encouraged to consult with healthcare professionals and specialists in this field[1].
ALSO READ: Whole Blood Transfusion for Trauma Patients Is a Lifesaver with Early Intervention
