A Liverpool student resorted to using his university loans to help him begin his transitioning journey.
Jack Evans, from Huyton, decided to pay privately £800 for "life-changing" hormone treatment in order to begin living life as his true authentic self. The 21-year-old felt he had no other option but to do so after seeing the length of NHS waiting lists.
To help with the burden of costs, Jack began working as a Covid-19 Marshall at his university but now has changed roles to a student ambassador giving tours to prospective students and helping out with open days in order to save more money.
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He said: "I, as a transgender undergraduate, have used my student loan to pay privately for life-changing hormone treatment. After being told I faced a three year wait for such treatment on the NHS, I knew I couldn’t last that long. It simply would have been disastrous for my mental health.
"Instead I’ve used my student maintenance loan to pay a private clinic for various consultations and the testosterone prescription."
Jack first realised he was trapped in the wrong body when he was just 15-years-old. He recalls being a typical 'tomboy' but now with hindsight recognises there "were signs growing up,". However, Jack only learned what the term 'transgender' actually meant a lot later on.
He told the ECHO : "When I was watching a documentary about a young trans man, and I identified with him a lot. As soon as I had the words to put to my feelings, things started to become very clear to me. My feelings surrounding my gender identity aligned a lot with the story I was hearing, and then I began to read more about trans people and watching trans creators on YouTube.
"Hearing these stories and watching trans people really gave me the confidence to first accept to myself that I was a trans man, and then find the voice to tell other people. It’s a very difficult process trying to navigate who you are at a young age when there’s so many other things going on with school, and general life, so it did take a while before I fully came to the conclusion that I wanted to begin my journey."
After finishing his GCSEs, Jack, who suffered very badly with anxiety and depression, plucked up the courage to come out. He added: "It’s very scary coming out for the first time, especially when education on the trans community didn’t really exist at my school. It does really feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you come out, even if it's just to one person.
"I had built it up in my head to be a huge secret and expected everybody to react terribly. Hiding it from people really did weigh me down and it was so difficult, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I just couldn’t get there yet. As soon as I came out, it was great because I didn’t have to hide things in my own head anymore, I could talk to people about it."
Initially, Jack was unsure of which name or pronouns he connected with but with the support of his friends, he quickly found his feet. However, his family was a different story, not because they weren't accepting but "because it is always a difficult circumstance for parents to be in."
He said: "If somebody is not educated on the trans community, then it’s hard to find something out like that, especially from your child. It did take my parents a while to understand completely, but as soon as they saw how happy I was being my true self, and the amount of confidence I gained from presenting as male, things did change for the better. It might have taken a while, but I am completely out to everybody now and I can honestly say I do have the most amazing people in my life."
Today acts as Trans Day of Visibility 2022, a day dedicated to spotlighting the community and bringing attention to "the fact trans people exist and aren't going anywhere." Jack alongside Liverpool Hope University launched a guide to the city for trans students. The Pink, White and Blue Liverpool guide proudly promises that 'hate will not win' and signposts university-goers to all of the 'inclusive, nurturing' establishments the city has to offer. It includes everything from non-gendered barbers and hairdressers to bars and nightclubs and even LGBT+ inclusive sports teams.
Jack added: "Last summer I had the idea to create a leaflet of the safest spaces for trans people in the city and spotlight a few places. This was my response to the increase of hate crimes that happened in Liverpool. I wanted trans people, especially those who had just moved to Liverpool for university, to feel safe in the city. I love Liverpool, it is very diverse, and I didn’t want fear to drive anybody away. This leaflet ended up turning into a booklet because I found so many places."
While today is a day of celebration, Jack also believes it is a day to educate others. He said: "Allies need to show that they care all year round. Trans people do not just exist for TDOV, or pride month, we are fighting our battles every day. Having support from allies is so important and this needs to be present constantly. If people can show they support trans people all year round, the world will become a more accepting place."
Thankfully, Jack said he is now in a position where his gender dysphoria is mostly under control and he is 'happy with his appearance and enjoying life.' In the near future, Jack hopes to independently pay for chest surgery.
