As a transgender non-binary person, I’m well aware of not feeling “trans enough” (a stupid sentiment, I know) to receive the support and respect I deserve. The experience of having to lie about some aspect of my identity is not new to me or to other trans people, especially in the context of receiving care, medical or otherwise. (In these spheres, non-binary and trans identities are often misunderstood and many trans people might have to describe themselves in ways that adhere more closely to a cisgender and binary understanding of gender and transness, to come across as ‘certain’ enough to access care). As such, I thought the same would have been for my life at Manchester, but how wrong I was! I have never felt more supported in my transition then I have while being at Manchester; the culture is very trans friendly, with staff being very supportive as well as other students, with the friends I’ve made being very respectful of my identity. The university even has its own Trans Inclusion Policy and Guidance for transgender staff and students alike.
Here’s a short-ish “guide” on the support that is available for you at Manchester.
Changing your name on university systems
I am yet to legally change my name; it’s both a difficult and yet easy thing to do that I still find myself umming and ahhing over, but one that I will get around to doing this year! Luckily, the University of Manchester does recognise preferred names – it just won’t appear on official documents like certificates or on your student ID.
In November of 2022, which was my first year of study, I emailed equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk requesting a name change from my birth name to my preferred name after talking with my academic advisor. I had also made my lecturers aware of my new name before requesting this, because I didn’t like the idea of people knowing the “old” me, and they were all very supportive of this. The Equality and Diversity team are very friendly and helpful and even offered to make my lecturers aware of the name change on my behalf. They laid out the process step by step for me, and sent me documents and advice on legally changing my name if it was something I was interested in, too.
Thankfully, my preferred name started appearing on class registers within the first month! I personally had some issues with the system where my birth name would still appear on certain class registers, and this took a few months to resolve. But please don’t let this stop you from requesting a name change – everything is fine and dandy now, and it’s extremely affirming to see my name, Ray, appearing on the library systems, on Blackboard, above my email. It has made me feel really confident and actually a part of the class, because I’m not just hiding who I am anymore!
The University will, of course, also change your name on their systems if it has been legally changed through Deed Poll. This will then be reflected on certificates and other documents. I still recommend getting in contact with equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk for this as they will make you aware of the process.
Changing your university email address
Look, I’m personally too lazy to get around to doing this myself, but changing your university email address to reflect your chosen name isn’t that difficult (or so I’ve been told). If you’re requesting a change of name on university systems with the Equality and Diversity team, they should also make you aware of this process.
You just need to submit a query on the IT Support Portal through the “Email issue/request” service, and then select the “Amend my University of Manchester email address” option. This can be accessed here after logging in with your email and password. This does, however, appear to be for staff and postgraduate students. As such, if you run into an issue with this, I suggest contacting equalityanddiversity@manchester.ac.uk or IT Support itself.
This essentially means you have two email addresses, in which the new one will become the primary email address. You can request to have the old email address deleted, however.
Gender affirming care through your GP
I aged out of the children’s Gender Identity Service program in 2021, but have been on my second referral since 2020. I’m still waiting to hear from them after almost four years, and it is agonising. It’s why I suggest to my questioning friends that they should still request a referral to a Gender Identity/Dysphoria Clinic just in case; you can always pull out your application if you come to the conclusion that you are cis, which is more than okay, or if you just realise that medical transition or the like isn’t for you. It’s better to be safe than sorry, in my opinion – the five years that you’re waiting for an appointment will pass regardless. If you haven’t been referred to a GDC then I highly recommend you do so as soon as possible. Going private is also an option, but not one that I can personally afford – student budget, and all!
Now, a bridging prescription is a beautiful thing. Many of my trans friends have been refused it by GP’s that aren’t following guidelines, including me, with a shocking 80% of GP’s refusing to prescribe it to patients. It’s only intended as harm reduction, given to patients: who are self-medicating or at risk of this; who are risks to themselves in regards to self-harm or suicide; whose doctors have consulted gender specialists. It’s essentially a prescription of (sometimes low dose) hormones intended to cover you from your referral to your first appointments with the gender clinic. My medical record has me down as having “severe gender dysphoria” as it has a significant impact on my mental health, so I was able to receive a testosterone prescription this way.
My GP at home refused to offer me a bridging prescription, and so the months before coming to Manchester I had spent hastily searching for a trans friendly GP who had prescribed bridging prescriptions before. I’ll save you searching: the Robert Darbishire Practice is who you want to go with (though I do recommend shopping around a bit, of course). I booked an appointment with Dr Vicky Mitchell as I was told she was one of two GPs at the practice who handles bridging prescriptions, and I’ve now been taking testosterone for 9 months! I seriously could not be happier now that I’ve started my medical transition. The worst they can say is no.
The Student Union’s Gender Expression Fund
Where do I even begin? The University of Manchester’s Trans Association team have already begun to make the processes I’ve discussed earlier easier following the passing of the Trans Inclusion Policy through the Union Assembly, but they’ve also championed the fantastic Gender Expression Fund which you can read more about and apply for it here.
As long as you are a “trans, non-binary, intersex, or gender-diverse” student at the University of Manchester then you can apply for up to £100 at a time in order to pay for gender affirming products, like binders and breast forms, or medical care, though you do have to provide evidence. I personally received just under £100 in order to pay for ten months worth of my testosterone prescription, which is honestly really incredible for me. My partner also received enough money to purchase a binder (we both highly recommend Spectrum Outfitters for binders), and so we’re both overall extremely happy with the Gender Expression Fund. If there are any financial barriers to your transition I highly recommend applying; as long as the money is going towards your transition then you should be granted the money, though it might take a minute or two for them to get back to you. I promise, it’s great!
The official University of Manchester’s Trans Association Instagram account can be found here, and their Student Union page to join here.
Finding community
The importance of finding people like yourself shouldn’t be downplayed. Throughout highschool there was only one other transgender person in our year that I was aware of before he moved schools, and I was too scared to fully come out of the closet until my second year of sixth form, where I was still the only transgender person in the year. I can’t emphasise enough how coming to university has made me feel so much more normal and accepted as opposed to being othered.
I’ve met a few trans people naturally through my course or otherwise and it’s so great just being able to talk to people who get it, to people who I can swap tips and tricks with or to vent to – I love being trans, but it isn’t always easy.
If you’re struggling to find friends as a trans person I highly recommend one of the University of Manchester’s LGBT+ Society events, and you can find their Instagram page here and their SU page here. Just remember that you aren’t alone, and there are people out there who are just like you.