Edited on 23rd March 2025
I registered with a new GP practice about 6 weeks ago and soon after that I decided it was time to get my gender marker changed on my passport.
Given that I don’t yet have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) or any appointments at the Gender Identity Clinic, I did not yet have the medical documentation demanded by the passport agency in cases such as my own.
My new GP asked for a pile of supporting documentation from myself, in advance of today’s (March 20) appointment, so she could build a picture of my health and my transgender journey in particular. Until today we had never met.
Deciding what to wear took a little time, as first impressions are important. I think I chose well.
I arrived early and hadn’t been waiting long before I was collected from the waiting area by my GP.
She asked me to explain where I was, in relation to my transgender journey. As my history is a little complex this took a few minutes, especially considering that I had been accepted for referral 13 years ago.
The upshot was that she was satisfied that I was indeed where I stated I was on my journey, and she accepted that the queue for the Tavistock & Portman GIC is long – especially considering my failed referral in 2012. The best guess for my first appointment at the Tavi is mid 2028, which would be six years after I joined the queue. That only gets my foot in the door, so to speak, as multiple appointments follow with 6 month to one year gaps.
My GP did however mentioned that it is possible that she could refer me to another clinic – this is not definite.
We then discussed the purpose of my appointment and she agreed she could write the letter I asked for. We discussed the content of that letter but the question that neither of us could answer was whether the passport agency (IPS) would accept the letter.
The letter will cost me a few ££, but I knew this already.
She then asked for a few more documents that would confirm that I am using my name & gender in normal life. This wasn’t unexpected, but the original bundle was 17 pages!
I had already told her I was taking HRT and Spiro, along with the exact dosages. I explained that I wanted to be fully open with her. Before we parted she asked where I was getting the HRT, so I said it was an overseas supplier with verifiable batch numbers. That satisfied her that although I was doing this at my own risk I had assessed the risks, checked the supplier and told her exactly what I was taking so she could note it.
That way, if my bloods show anything odd, (to someone else) there may be an explanation.
She then told me about possible side effects and how to identify them.
All good, and beyond what I expected.
I need to head back to the surgery with the additional documents then pay for the letter … which I should get next week.
All told, it was a positive appointment. We both understood the limits and restrictions that a GP has, so there wasn’t a prescription for HRT forthcoming.
I returned to the surgery the following day with the additional evidence and the £25 cash they requested.
Since then I have found the notes that my new GP took during the consultation on 20th March. Her notes concur with my recollection above, but included the name and email address of the potential GIC that she mentioned during our appointment.
Pictured below: the outfit I wore for my GP appointment.
