Fundraising for Nate's Transition

In Sydney, Australia, in 1992, a child named Jessica was born. When most children wanted a pony, or to be a fireman, she only wanted a sex change. Jess figured she was gay. She went to an all-girls school, struggled to make friends, suffered serious depression, and figured a life away from Sydney in her parent's homeland would fix it. She found a girlfriend, went to university for a while, moved to her partner's hometown after lots more ups and (mostly) downs. But it still wasn't right.

Because, obviously, he wasn't a girl at all.

After years of quietly struggling with gender dysphoria, the last month or so has been a momentous one for Nathaniel, as he prefers to be known these days. He has come out to me, his closest friends, his colleagues, and (just last night), his parents. And so his journey can begin.

The Nitty Gritty-

Unfortunately transitioning is a long and extremely costly process, made even more so by geographical location. Nate currently lives in Invercargill, NZ. There are absolutely no medical resources for the trans* community here, nor has his case been handled very sensitively.

Firstly, Nate needs to see a psychiatrist specialising in gender identity. There is only one in the South Island, predictably located in Christchurch. Her fees are around $400NZD per 90 minute session. He might only need the one session (fingers crossed), or they could go on for as long as three months. As Christchurch is either a short plane ride or a seven hour drive away, travel costs (transport, accommodation, time off work etc.) all need to be considered as well, and unfortunately it is a cost neither of us can bear at the moment. It is also the most crucial step as an assessment needs to be made before anything happens.

After that, he needs to see an endocrinologist, who will prescribe the correct amount of testosterone. Thankfully this is generally a one time appointment, and testosterone is subsidised. Nate's GP can then continue the prescription. So this part is easy.

UPDATE- Nate will no longer be travelling to Christchurch to see a gender specialist, as he has engaged with a very good psychotherapist here in Invercargill. He's had one session so far & is finding it extremely beneficial. This obviously means that your donations are going towards name change, the surgery fund, and medical equipment (testosterone has to be injected, and he has to buy his own needles, we have learned.)

He was misinformed by the SDHB, who stated that he must see a gender specialist or psychiatrist to get a referral- this is not, as we have learned, a necessity- his GP may prescribe, even without consultation of an endocrinologist, testosterone if they are satisfied he truly identifies as a man (usually this means a period of 3 months living as a man.)

There is also the matter of "top" surgery (a bi-lateral double mastectomy)- this is not a government funded procedure and can cost up to $20,000, not including travel, as this surgery is not performed in New Zealand anymore.

Nate has asked me to set up this page on his behalf, really just in the hope of pulling help from anywhere. Even the smallest donation is going to change his life forever. Donations would go towards a legal name change, medical assessments, and the all-important top surgery.

Thank you so much for joining Nate on his amazing journey!