First off... don't listen to the stories so much, I am sure the vast majority of people dont have a problem with CX (All the people I speak to dont have a problem). I am on their books and to be honest its a nice place, The Dr's I have seen have all been fantastic.
Well, yeh thats the reply I got when I asked about CX at a few places... but seriously its not bad there :D
its very easy to find (well the main hospital is, its just at the back of that, on Claybrook Road which runs behind the hospital).
Make sure you're on time is the best advice I can give ;).
just turn up, tell them you've got an appointment at XX O'clock with Dr , they will tell you to take a seat and they call the psych up who then comes and calls you in
Having been to the CXH I can say that it's quite a nice place, had no complaints about it, it all went well. I have my next appointment on the 6th of June. It seems that all the Drs that were bad have left, and the ones ther now are good. An added bonus was a walk through a very nice cemetery
One thing I will say is that if you do start T before you go to CXH they will ask you to stop so they can take base hormone level tests, if you are told to stop on the first visit the tests won't be done untill the second so you might not get it on the nhs untill the third visit, so I'd advise against it.
As for name change, there are various websites that do deed poll services, just do a uk only search on google.co.uk for 'deed poll' and you'll find some. Another way is with a statutory declaration which can be a lot cheaper but might have more work involved.
www.ukdps.co.uk is the best place for Deed Polls online.
Stat Dec is faster and no more work really (Just need to pop along to a solicitor and get it signed, shouldn't need an appointment - www.ftm.org.uk lets you print your own one out) but they don't look as fancy as a Deed Poll so you might have trouble getting them accepted some places.
A deed poll might be easier if it's done online, with a stat dec you have to find someone who will sign it, I don't know of anyone in my area who will do it.
Snakey talks a lot of sense - more than your doctor does. The Real Life Test (or Real Life Experience) is not about convincing people you were born male; it's about being accepted as male here and now, whether or not people are aware of your birth-assigned sex. To CHX, this means having legally changed your name (so best get that done asap - doesn't matter if it's deed poll or statutory declaration) and presenting as a bloke at all times (or at least NOT reverting to a female persona for any reason). They'd also be happy to see some evidence of you interacting with the wider community as a guy - paid employment, voluntary work, formal study - but I think this is more relevant where surgery is concerned. They wouldn't hold back on giving you T because you didn't have a job. If you smoke, stop; they're pretty hardline about that.
And good luck! I understand Professor Green's last outpatient clinic is in June, so your odds of getting a sympathetic, friendly shrink are pretty good.
I plan to do some voluntary work and maybe some part time (once a week) study...how often do I have to do these things for them to 'count'?
I present as a bloke most of the time away from my family (I live alone but they live near). I dress in men's clothing and talk with a deep voice. But something I dress in asexual clothing and don't deepen my voice if I know I'll be around a lot of people who don't know I'm out but knew me as my birth gender. hopefully that'll all be irrelevant when I move half way across the country next year.
I'm seriously considering trying to find a way of aquiring T without a perscription but I'm worried the products will be fake and that if I'm caught it might affect a decision to give me T through the proper channels.
Please don't try this. There's a reason for psychiatrists prescribing testosterone - it's extremely powerful and starts to take effect sometimes in 4 weeks. Once it begins, the effects are hard to reverse even if you stop taking it. Therefore you need to be absolutely certain that you won't regret it in the future. Okay, at the moment you may feel sure of yourself, i respect that, but all the same, it's useful to have a psychiatrist to help work through these important decisions with you.
And yes, if you get it illegally, you might be ripped off, and yes, it will influence decisions made by psychiatrists in the future. All in all, just don't go there.
It's getting me down so much even having mail come addressed as my previous name. Are there any medical requirements or proofs needed to change my name and how exactly would I go about this?
If it's getting you down, why not try asking people to change the name when they write to you? If you ask nicely, a lot of people will probably do it for you without any proof at all. Okay, maybe not banks, but any charities, clubs, professional services ... they don't really care what name and gender you choose to use!
If you do want to go ahead and make it official, all you need is a deed poll or a statutory declaration. They're not difficult to arrange - see http://ftm.org.uk/node/54 - they even have an online tool to help you make your own! Then you just print it and sign it with a solicitor as a witness.
There are no medical or surgical requirements to changing your name. You could change your legal name to Pikachu if you felt like it, there's nothing stopping you!
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First off... don't listen to the stories so much, I am sure the vast majority of people dont have a problem with CX (All the people I speak to dont have a problem). I am on their books and to be honest its a nice place, The Dr's I have seen have all been fantastic.
I'm 22 as well :P
good luck with things
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What's the place like inside and what did you have to do the first time you went there? Is it easy to find?
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its very easy to find (well the main hospital is, its just at the back of that, on Claybrook Road which runs behind the hospital).
Make sure you're on time is the best advice I can give ;).
just turn up, tell them you've got an appointment at XX O'clock with Dr , they will tell you to take a seat and they call the psych up who then comes and calls you in
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http://www.transgenderzone.com/practitionerguide/ClaybrookCentre.htm
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One thing I will say is that if you do start T before you go to CXH they will ask you to stop so they can take base hormone level tests, if you are told to stop on the first visit the tests won't be done untill the second so you might not get it on the nhs untill the third visit, so I'd advise against it.
As for name change, there are various websites that do deed poll services, just do a uk only search on google.co.uk for 'deed poll' and you'll find some. Another way is with a statutory declaration which can be a lot cheaper but might have more work involved.
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Stat Dec is faster and no more work really (Just need to pop along to a solicitor and get it signed, shouldn't need an appointment - www.ftm.org.uk lets you print your own one out) but they don't look as fancy as a Deed Poll so you might have trouble getting them accepted some places.
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And good luck! I understand Professor Green's last outpatient clinic is in June, so your odds of getting a sympathetic, friendly shrink are pretty good.
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I present as a bloke most of the time away from my family (I live alone but they live near). I dress in men's clothing and talk with a deep voice. But something I dress in asexual clothing and don't deepen my voice if I know I'll be around a lot of people who don't know I'm out but knew me as my birth gender.
hopefully that'll all be irrelevant when I move half way across the country next year.
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I'm based in Hertfordshire but close-ish to London.
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Please don't try this. There's a reason for psychiatrists prescribing testosterone - it's extremely powerful and starts to take effect sometimes in 4 weeks. Once it begins, the effects are hard to reverse even if you stop taking it. Therefore you need to be absolutely certain that you won't regret it in the future. Okay, at the moment you may feel sure of yourself, i respect that, but all the same, it's useful to have a psychiatrist to help work through these important decisions with you.
And yes, if you get it illegally, you might be ripped off, and yes, it will influence decisions made by psychiatrists in the future. All in all, just don't go there.
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If it's getting you down, why not try asking people to change the name when they write to you? If you ask nicely, a lot of people will probably do it for you without any proof at all. Okay, maybe not banks, but any charities, clubs, professional services ... they don't really care what name and gender you choose to use!
If you do want to go ahead and make it official, all you need is a deed poll or a statutory declaration. They're not difficult to arrange - see http://ftm.org.uk/node/54 - they even have an online tool to help you make your own! Then you just print it and sign it with a solicitor as a witness.
There are no medical or surgical requirements to changing your name. You could change your legal name to Pikachu if you felt like it, there's nothing stopping you!
Reply
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