United Kingdom

Personal stories

This section consists of personal anecdotes from people living in the UK. Remember to take it as stories, but they can point you where you can do more research.

Access to HRT

In the UK, I was put on a 10 year waiting list and told to get lost! My GP refused to even do blood tests on me. Even private had a fairly lengthy wait, and nowhere local was willing to give me blood tests. I had to get a nurse on house visit to do it which was even more expensive.

Cost of living

Pay is awful unless you're in management or able to get a weirdly high paying job, and housing costs are insane if you're in the south. No rent control either. I was earning about 1/4 what I would have done in the US, but with similar cost of living. There's a reason most people I know still in the UK no longer put their heating on in winter and suffer through the cold. Poverty is becoming a serious problem. The standard of living has utterly collapsed there over the last 20 years.

Immigration rules

As for getting into the UK, not a clue but I wouldn't advise going there, it sucks if you're cis, but it's becoming a nightmare for trans people anyway.

Finding work

Before emigrating, I was in an area which people only moved to for retirement, so any businesses trying to hire would struggle to find staff. I got the first job I applied for! That said the pay is awful.

Queer acceptance

It's about the same as the USA but for different reasons. You have pockets and areas and individuals who are accepting, but everywhere else it's pot luck. I've been spat on in public, had abuse thrown at me. In rural areas it's somewhat preferable since nobody wants to make too much of a scene. You will get stared to death constantly though if you don't pass perfectly.

There's less religious fundamentalism driving it than in the US, but the right wing propaganda machine is very much the driving force. The government has a record on trans rights just as terrible, and accessing healthcare is worse. I'd much rather live in one of the more accepting states than the UK. It's not quite bible belt bad, but it still sucks. If you're from somewhere like Florida but have a British passport somehow, go to Washington or Minnesota over the UK.

Contact us

If you know about life in the UK as an LGBTQ+ person or would like to ask us questions about the UK, you can reach out to us using the contact form.