Charing Cross

[Pippa]

I had my first appointment at Charing Cross last week and I have ben ruminating a bit about it.  As usual there was a load of questions about anger issues and self harm and I got the impression that as I had not had such symptoms, there was doubts about my dysphoria.
it isn't as if I haven't had issues.  I have suffered from depression, I have been increasingly isolated and I have suffered from increasing lack of self worth.  I have become increasingly frustrated with the world around me and I have always put on an act to hide my lack of self confidence.  I have lacked ambition and I have become increasingly listless.  That is how my dysphoria has affected me.

I got the impression there was a bit of a box ticking attitude at the clinic.  Anyone else suffered from similar pigeon holing.

[Pippa]

Not yet.  I have a second opinion session in July.

[AbraCadabra]

* I got the impression there was a bit of a box ticking attitude at the clinic.  Anyone else suffered from similar pigeon holing. *

Oh YES! This is where one starts to wonder about what is called "therapy"!

In my final gatekeeper report - after there was an éclat over me NOT wanting EVER... colon-section -

Mr. xxx has had to few fantasies, ... was not sufficiently cross-dressing... he does not belong to any church... not a normal case for GID. etc. etc.
So I got GID-NOS which meant 'no letter' for SRS from this dude.

He was my gatekeeper for 1 year on RLE with NO HRT!... the only one available for SA based SRS.

It's no wonder one has to lie to these folks to fulfil their ever so dear expectations.
They must have an agreement with UK implementation rules of SoC...

I was LIVID reading this crap. But you just have be one VERY nice girly with those folks, lest they will shunt you aside, one time.
Well, all the power to them.

Am sooo glad to have moved passed that lot...
Axélle

[Pippa]

Another thing which annoyed me greatly was the feeling of disaproval I received because I had't changed my name or identity documents.   I have just been through a huge legal battle with my ex employer, so I had to be careful not to give reasons for a tribunal to reject my claim.  I was also acting on the advice of my GP who very much advised to hold off with such things until I'd seen the specialist.

It seems you can't win, do these things and you are seen to be hasty, don't do them and your treated as not being serious.

[AbraCadabra]

That name change 'thing' is complete BS in my take.

In SA you can only change name/gender AFTER SRS!.... so only some 1 1/2 years from start of "therapy" at best --- in Germany only after 3 YEARS of 'shrink proven' RLE ... PLUS SRS!

Now ask me who in UK thinks what makes them now so special... are trans-people in different countries (Germany, next door also Scandinavia) differently constituted? What has the name got to do with it all?

I'm sorry to hear you also get so wrapped up in all this nonsense red-tape... it often appears to be just so arbitrary.

Grrr,
Axélle
PS: also in e.g. Germany names MUST be gender congruent. No way to become Emma and gender is MALE... maybe you can use these examples to get some more common and less 'Charing' sense offered :-)