Discussion
If anyone who is in T has moved to the UK in recent years can you let @WizardOfDocs and I know how hard it was to get it prescription in the UK?
I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to apply to to a job in Scotland, or if it would take years for my husband to get re-diagnosed
@Canageek It is likely to vary by GP surgery and area of NHS. If you can get documentation confirming your husband's "gender dysphoria diagnosis" and stable treatment regime from a "gender identity clinic/clinician" then that will definitely help. The GP may still wish to "refer" to a Scottish gender clinic for 'cover' but that may well be a formality.
It may be worth phoning/emailing some GP clinics near potential new area to find out their policy & see what replies come back. @WizardOfDocs
@Canageek @WizardOfDocs I have pinged a not-on-Mastodon trans friend who is not a migrant but is extremely connected to the wider community. They say in theory it's very doable if you're already getting it prescribed, but in practice it's very variable depending on where you are. But the good news is they reckon Scotland is currently much better than other parts of the UK
@RexMagenta @WizardOfDocs Thank you so much! That helps a lot
@Canageek @WizardOfDocs But they also said that unless the job in question is an absolute dream job, they really can't recommend moving to the UK as a trans person right now. The transphobia over here is sadly high
@RexMagenta @Canageek @WizardOfDocs I'm always happy to talk about what it's like being a trans man and an immigrant in the UK (I'm in England rather than Scotland but still). I don't want to diminish other experiences but it has been absolutely fine for me.
@RexMagenta @WizardOfDocs That makes it hard: It is pretty close to my dream job and I'm getting depressed from being stuck as a lab tech when I have a PhD
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@Canageek@wandering.shop @WizardOfDocs@wandering.shop i'll preface this saying that my experience is related to Edinburgh and will be different in other parts of Scotland, and that it was a few years ago.
so, to get on T you have 2 paths: via NHS or private.
via NHS, your GP needs to refer you to the gender clinic (usually after a physiatrist visit to confirm you're trans, but if you have all that from your previous doc, that will be skipped). currently the waitlist for the Edinburgh gender clinic is around 2.5 years (Glasgow is in the 100s years (no this is not a joke) and the highlands a couple months).
privately is much quicker but obviously more expensive, since you'll need to pay for both the doc and the prescription.
at the time i got myself on the NHS waiting list, then got myself on T privately until i could switch. i went with waterside clinic, though they were yourGP at the time and the doc i saw doesn't seem to work there anymore.
i moved to Scotland from England, and due to transphobic GP clinic who refused to continue my injections (under the pretext of not trusting English doctors and then sending me a letter saying they wouldn't be able to proceed with my care), i had to start from scratch and stop T until i could save enough for a private appointment. however, since i had sent over all the previous documents from the old doctors, i got my first injection that same day.
if you do self injections it will be much easier, just make sure to have the biggest supply you can legally bring over to tide you over until you can get it privately/via NHS.
no idea if foreign prescriptions can be honoured here, worth checking.
good luck!