Loges

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He / Him / His

Loges is a bisexual male. Loges began his trans journey by coming out to a few close friends sometime in 2015. In 2017, on his fifteenth birthday he cut his hair short to affirm his gender identity. Loges then came out to his parents later in the year who he described as being really supportive. In November of the next year he was able to go on hormones which he thinks was a really quick process People at school were less supportive so he dropped out and is awaiting a transfer to college.

Loges decided, with his parents support, that he wanted to seek private health care during his trans journey. Loges has had some support from an NHS GP who referred him to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and a gender identity clinic. Loges says that he feels understoo and respected when he sees his GP. Even though Loges has chosen to have private medical care, CAMHS still keep in contact to ensure that he is ok which he appreciates.

Loges administers testosterone through hormone gel. He says that the prescriptions are quite expensive and can be anywhere between £30-£60 for one bottle which lasts about two months. To apply the gel he rubs a thick layer on his upper arms and waits a few minutes for it to soak into his blood steam. Loges found this process exciting at first, but quickly became aware that it could take months before he saw any physical changes.

Loges thinks that there should be more nurses available so that the waiting time for hormones can be reduced in the NHS. He also thinks that there should be more gender identity clinics across the UK because there is none in his local area and traveling elsewhere can be expensive. Loges says to medical professionals to not ask too invasive questions and ask [the questions in] the right way and make sure the person is comfortable with the treatment you;re giving them

Loges tries to stay “in a bubble of trans positivity” and talks about the importance of a supportive community.

Age at interview 16

I think it’s quite positive if you stay in like the social bubble of like trans positivity but then like when you branch out and there’s like people spreading transphobic things and like people making videos about their opinions but I think it’s quite good really because like if someone meets one of those a lot of the community will like try and move that away and like not bring attention to it.

So when you say like the bubble of tran’s positivity what do you mean?

Like everyone’s kind of like just being positive and like anyone who is being disrespectful or anything they’ll just remove and it’s just like their own safe place like there’s a lot of Facebook groups I’m in like [support group] and it’s like you can put anything in there and people will help and it’s like if there’s anyone who’d not supposed to be in there they’ll just get them moved.

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Loges talks about the dos and don’ts of binding: “There’s a lot of misinformation about the different ways to bind.”

Age at interview 16

Well I bind my chest and that’s quite difficult to do that every day and like, because it’s quite painful, so I definitely think surgery would help that a lot because I wouldn’t have to do that every day.

Could you describe the kind of the process of binding?

It’s quite painful really on the ribs because it’s just like, really tight around the chest when I flatten them out, it does restrict breathing and it’s really not the best but it’s what most people do to try and pass.

And how do you feel about it?

I think it is quite good that like companies have made these things that can do that but I think it’s, there a lot of misinformation about the different ways to bind. Like people say to use bandages which is a no, duct tape – no… I think there should just be a lot more information on ‘this is how you bind, this is how you shouldn’t bind’.

Okay can you tell, can you tell me a bit more about the do’s and the don’ts?

You should only wear it for like 8 to 10 hours at the most, you shouldn’t wear doubles of them, you shouldn’t use any kind of duct tape. You shouldn’t use bandages because they’ll just close and restrict the breathing. You need to take a rest. Just like make sure you’re not overheating from them.

How do you deal with all that stuff?

I just try and like work out like if I go to work and then I have to like stay home and then go out with my friends for a bit I will have a break then and make sure I’m okay. There’s some days were you can’t do that so it’s just like making sure that 9 out of 10 days you’re able to have a break.

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