A transgender man has praised a Merseyside-based support group for helping him through his transition.
Darius Addams, who lives in the city centre, came out as trans socially when he was 26. Moving from Bristol to the city, Darius saw it as the perfect opportunity for a fresh start and to introduce the world to the real him.
Having grown up not knowing any other trans people and with an increase in transgender hate crimes, the 28-year-old feared what this would mean for him as a trans man. The University of Liverpool student had the support of the gender dysphoria service, CMAGIC.
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The final-year nursing student told the ECHO: “For a long time, I didn’t even know trans men existed and I certainly never knew non-binary people did. All I did know about trans people was the ridiculous cross-dressing mimic shown on TV which people laughed at.
“It felt awful because I didn’t know the word for what I felt was trans. The personas shown on TV weren’t trans, they were comedians making fun of trans people and that’s why I thought I wasn’t trans because I wasn’t like that. I knew I didn’t want to be in this body and that I felt uncomfortable, especially going through puberty, but I couldn’t find anyone I related to.”
It was when Darius was 21 and settling into a new life in Bristol that he realised he felt similar to a lot of what his trans friends did.
He added: “Being around people who understood how I felt made me realise who I am and that is trans. It was a massive weight off my shoulder. I finally felt comfortable in my body, especially being on testosterone.
“I was able to accept who I was and not have to pretend to be someone else just to fit in socially. I felt so trapped before and hated myself and it was really hard to get close to anyone else because I was constantly pretending to be someone who I wasn’t."
On top of facing daily transphobia, Darius also struggled with the idea of being trans and being a feminist - he questioned if living life as his authentic self made him “sexist and misogynistic”. Darius was helped with whatever problems arose during his transition by The Cheshire and Merseyside Adult Gender Identity Collaborative (CMAGIC) after he moved to study.
He said: “I was able to get seen (by a doctor) through CMAGIC within a year. I had heard horror stories before of others' experiences being trans but it was so incredible because I didn’t have to follow gender stereotypes, prove I was trans or say the right thing just to be accepted as trans.
“With CMAGIC, it was a trans doctor who saw me and she made it completely clear I didn’t have to live up to a certain stereotype just to be seen as a trans man. She listened to who I was as an individual. Not being made to feel like being trans was a mental illness or something to be ashamed of was something I looked for, for a long time.”
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CMAGiC is a partnership of clinicians, commissioners, providers and service users involved in the support and care of transgender and non-binary individuals within Cheshire and Merseyside. One of the services it offers to trans people like Darius is a free name change. The “game-changing” service helps people take the first important step in their social transition.
While the process of name changing itself is free, individuals who wish to match their name on official documents to one that matches their gender identity, usually require help to complete online forms.
As a result of this, companies offer their advice and guidance in return for payment. However, in some cases, the individual’s money is wasted as often the documents don’t get accepted as they’ve been filled out without the help of a professional.
Speaking of the service, Anthony Griffin, Chair of CMAGIC, said: “This is a vital service that will prevent so many people from the trans, non-binary and intersex community from needlessly spending lots of money on online services.”
The service is delivered with the help of MSB Solicitors across parts of the North West region.
Emma Carey, Managing Partner at MSB, added: “I’m a firm believer that people should be able to be whoever they want to be and that any potential barriers to them achieving that should be removed, however possible.”
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