donāt tell me that you model, if you aināt been inā¦ @britishvogue !!!
Iāve been absolutely beaming from ear to ear all day. I never thought Iād see myself alongside so many other trans people in such a huge publication. Means the absolute world to be part of this important representation.
A huge thank you to @danistjames , @11th.day & @notaphaseorg for including me in this, lots of love š«¶š¼
THIS IS LOVE
Been waiting for this one to drop! Chuffed to bits being included in this campaign for @calvinklein & @gaytimes
#mycalvins āØ
Alongside the shoot, I was asked to write a letter to someone in my queer chosen family. I chose one of my closest friends, Josh (@666pizza ), the first person who ever told me what being trans was, and who proved to be such a pivotal person in my life. You continue to be someone of huge importance to me, I appreciate you always š letter published online via GAY TIMES!!
HUGE thank you to:
Creative direction, fashion and words: @umarsarwarx
Photography: @morganhillmurphy
Art direction: @jackrowe_
Design team: @henry.thomas.lloyd & @anisacleaver
Hair stylist: @thebradylea at @premierhairandmakeup
Makeup stylist: @kareemjarchemakeup
Photography Assistant: @sylwia_grzegorzko
Fashion assistant: @nalisheb0
Campaign assistants: @veryc00lgirl & @sollyotwarner
26 years old; 10 years on T, 9 years post-op.
A decade of becoming me.
This really does feel like a milestone. I started T when I was 16, as a young trans kid navigating a complex and intimidating medical system. At times I think so much has changed since then, yet at the same time, so much remains the same.
I was fortunate to be seen at the only clinic in the UK that treated kids under 18, and a fortnight after I received my prescription, the clinic upped its minimum age to 21. Iāll never forget that feeling of having accessed a service that so soon, and so quickly, had become inaccessible to others like me. A decade later, trans kids are demonised and belittled in the press almost every week, their healthcare has been entirely repealed, and there is no possibility of accessing gender-affirming care before the age of 18.
As much as the media want to push the idea that trans kids donāt exist - I was one. My transition, albeit an incredibly lucky and privileged journey, is a testament to what trans healthcare could be, and what it once was.
A decade after starting my medical transition, Iām now a couple of months away from completing my PhD. My thesis focuses on the social constructions of biological sex, gender, and trans identities in medicine, as well as the failures of medical institutions to teach and prepare doctors for delivering trans healthcare. Iāll forever be fuelled by the experiences Iāve had, those of my friends and my community, and Iāll never stop fighting for us and the trans kids to come.
