These pages set out the steps to take in changing your name.

Genital Surgery

Go to see your counsellor again and discuss the issues over whether you want to have phalloplasty or not.

A series of major events:

• Get invited home for Christmas lunch - and even enjoy it after 3 glasses of wine
• Go swimming in public and book a holiday in a hotel with a pool
• Become a scout leader or other similar member of your local community and be proud of who you are.

Make sure that after everything you have been through that from now on you live life to the full. It is not a dress rehearsal and if you don’t bungee jump in this life you are never going to have the opportunity again.

Month 01

Mastectomy

• Get initial appointment with surgeon who will do mastectomy. You will have to remove your shirt for the examination.
• Ask your partner to go with you to provide support, but don’t ask your mother unless she is an exceptional person.

Grow a moustache (of sorts).

Consider dieting to remove a few of the pounds you have put on.

Month 06

Go into hospital for mastectomy

You will be off work for around 2 weeks, depending upon heaviness of job.

Cut down or stop smoking for the operation and for several months afterwards to maximise bloodflow to nipples.

By Stephen Whittle

All of these timings are approximate and I can make no guarantees as regards the efficacy of the NHS services.

For convenience, there is a separate page for each year.

Week 01

Attend 2nd Appointment at GIC. If you can show that you are working, or attending a full time college course, or a full time volunteer worker, or even an unemployed local councillor, the clinic will give you the go-ahead (if you wish) to start the real life test. If you are in agreement, at this time, the clinic will write to your GP and authorise them to prescribe you male hormones.

Week 04

• Start testosterone injections: - you will have these for the rest of your life.
• 2 days later: start eating as if a famine is due. You will feel very hungry and it is very very easy to put on a lot of weight over the next couple of years. Go to they gym NOW and get yourself membership, pay for a year up front, that way you’ll have spent a lot of money and feel obliged to get your money’s worth.

First Year of transition - Ground Zero!

Week 01

Visit your GP

Ask for a referral to one of the specialist Gender Identity Clinics (GICs) such as Charing Cross Hospital (see Resources List in this manual). Your GP will expect you to explain why you want this appointment.

If your GP refuses to refer you, contact you local Family Practitioner Committee to get details of other GPs in you area, and change your GP.

Counselling

While you wait for appointments consider seeking some private counselling to address some of the issues that you wish to discuss. GICs rarely have the funding to provide counselling, or psychotherapy.