Changing sex/tattoos.
 

A Mancunian male to female transexual is to have the tattoos she had done, whilst serving in the merchant navy, removed at a cost to the tax payer of £2,500 plus travel costs.

The former sailor, currently unemployed, and who fathered nine children, from who she is estranged, thinks the removal of the tattoos will allow her to wear more short sleeved outfits, as well as to make her look more 'ladylike'.

Ladylike?

I think a good slap might be more in order.

Women all over the country, depending on their postcodes, are being refused herceptin, which could help stop the spread of their breast cancer.

The whole of the NHS needs to prioritise it's treatment plans, and spend the money were it is most needed.

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/me...op_on_nhs.html

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

According to Century FM news yesterday, this person also had their gender reassignment surgery on the NHS, which must have cost a fortune. She should be made to pay for the removal of these tattoos, just like the majority of people have to do.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

A woman from the health trust said 'the removal of the tatoos wasn't taking money away from any more serious healthcare'
So why is it that cancer patients can't have a drug that prolongs life but this person can a) have a sex change b) have tattoos removed?
I agree, for once, with the media it is downright disgraceful.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

How can it not be taking money away from others that might need it? Do they have a pot of money to spend on certain treatments which has to be used every year? Or is it a case of use it or lose it? A perfect example to me of fund mismanagement in the NHS!!! People cant get the drugs they need or the treatment they need for a better quality of life yet someone can change sex and have tattoo's removed. What next "change my DNA from thate of a male to that of a female so I am "ALL WOMEN!!!" (no offence intended ladies)


ITS STUPID AND UTTER MADNESS. How many patients needing hip replacements are loosing out, how many beds, how many baby ICU's, cancer victims etc etc etc when this kind of thing happens????

If they want to change sex LET THEM FIND THE CASH THEMSELVES TO PAY FOR IT I would rather see my hard earned taxes go to those that need it thanks not something like this.

Going for a walk my blood is starting to boil!!!!

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I totally agree with you. Last June i had reconstructive surgery done in my middle ear. The surgeon used bone and skin grafts from my skull. He also used Latex to help the grafts adhere as i have that much scar tissue from previous operations. I am deaf in my right side and hearing imparred in my left side. 4 weeks after surgery my body rejected the Latex with such force it shot the Latex out through my ear drum and some has remained intack. Imagine what i am going through with this foreign body that my body is reacting to on a daily basis.
The surgeon said it needed removing pretty damn quick ....

Almost 12 months later and im still waiting, the damage its done is severe and im waiting on a massive operation now.

So not happy to hear abot the sex change having her tattoes done :mad:

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

The cost of the gender reassignment, undertaken in 2001, cost the NHS £20,000.

While I have no doubt there are some genuine cases, I do question the validity of someone who fathered nine children by three different women, and from whom he/she is estranged, from having it.

Did this person pay towards the upkeep of the nine children? Or did they expect the State to pay for those results from his/her former life?

If they want the tattoos removed, that they had done whilst in the navy, they should get a job, and save up like everyone else would have to.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I agree that she should of had to pay for both sex op & tattoo removal!!
there are many people unable to have children & have to pay privately, like anything else 'health' should be priority not insignificant cosmetic surgery. That person should of considered the consequences of tattooes before paying money to have them - so why should tax payer fund removal? for reason of ladylike :eek: what an excuse!!! pathetic!!!

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

The only valid reason I can agree with for gender realinement is if a baby has the misfortune of being born a hemaphrodite. Anything else should be paid privately.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

Yeh i agree with that:)

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I dont agree with the NHS funding tattoo removal, I agree this person should save up and pay for it herself.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

Its interesting to read that this person has waited so long for the gender reassignment, I mean that whilst being a male has fathered nine children before realising "things" are not right, whilst I do not understand what it feels like to need a sex change, I do feel that in some cases these folks are in need of some sort of counselling of the highest order to see the root of their problems with their gender as in my humble opinion once the op is done there is no turning back. I feel that there must be a mental health issue here and before taxpayers money is used to fund this operation all alternatives must be discussed and a thorough assessment of the individual must be carried out. I get cold shivers even thinking of having this type of mutilation being done to mself. As for the tattoos it is the same thing, I have tattoos and I would not dream of having them removed, if that was the case I would not have had them in the first place, they are part of me. There again that is what makes the human race unique, we are all different with different views.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I resent paying for tattoo removal. People are like sheep having them done. I'm having one cos my mate is having one. I don't like any more than a couple of small ones on girls. Girls bodies are perfect the way they are.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

Tattoo's are horrible anyway.. i wonder how many people regret having had them done ,once the novelty has worn off...
Like the majority of decent people i think priority of N.H.S. money should go to people that are sick. not sickening people

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I can't begin to understand the hell that a person who believes that they are the wrong sex can be going through, but I don't think the NHS should be paying for their tattoo removal.

I have a very small tattoo on my ankle and I personally love it but if I ever wanted it removing I don't think it should be anyone elses responsibility but my own.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

This is the reason I say that it is a mental health issue rather than a surgical one.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

For gender realignment surgery to take place, two years of counselling takes place, and the person has to spend a year before the operations living in their chosen gender role.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

So who pays for the counselling?

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

The NHS, as per usual.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I just think that it's wrong to spend money on this type of stuff when people can't get life saving drugs!:( The NHS is'nt bottomless, and tattoos being removed should be well down the list of priorities!

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

Although I know three people who have had gender reassignment surgery, I still don't really understand it. How can you know, if you are one gender, how it feels to be the other? So how can you know you would be happier male or female as the case may be? What is not generally known is that post surgery, the NHS has to fund constant hormone therapy in order to avoid a degree of regression - just removing/adding bits doesn't do it, bodies still produce some of the same male/female hormones. Add to this the cost of the tattoo removal and it is truly adding insult to injury.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

IT should have had to pay to have IT's totoos removed and IT should definatly been told to sod off when IT asked to have the sex change simply because IT had chosen the way of been a man when it settled down and decided to have children . IT should have thought about the sex change before having children as i know for sure i wouldnt appreciate my father switching sex

no matter what is taken away IT will always be a man especialy in the eyes of the law which means IT has to use the mens toilets and will go to a male prison if convicted of a crime

sex swaps should not be done on the NHS for free infact no surgery just to please peoples vanity should be done on the HNS like women who arnt happy with their tiny boobs can get bigger boobs if they say its causing them depression not having big boobs. ( excluding victims of crime or accidents, reconstructive surgery etc )

ime pretty sure there are a lot of childrens wards out there that would gladly welcome a new incubator or two so that more babys can live

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I have heard people try to explain the torment of living in what to them seems like an alien body. I can only come close to trying to imagine it if I think how I would feel if I woke up one morning with the body of a big hairy navvy and was told I'd have to spend the rest of my life like that! I know it would feel wrong and not feel like me and would probably drive me insane.


Yes, that's a good point. If you have never experienced life as the other gender - how do you know?

Having said all that, I do have sympathy for those who have struggled through childhood feeling that they have been wrongly assigned at birth, especially if there have been doubts which required a decision leading to earlier surgery. However in this particular case the guy has lived apparentkly quite happily as a man and managed to father 9 flippin children so he can't have exactly had much of a problem relating to his gender whilst he was doing that! Then expecting the tattoo removal as an additional freebie just adds insult to injury.

There are times when I feel that the line between cosmetic surgery for vanity and plastic surgery for medical reasons meet in a shady grey area - the point about boobs and depression being one. Depression is a very real medical condition and perhaps having surgery is the lesser of two evils if it prevents years pf misery, counselling and/or drugs. Equally valid can be breast reduction where the weight is causing physical discomfort and it isn't all about being fat or going on a diet. I know a very slim young woman who has naturally huge bosoms, but there has to be a point where the NHS says "No" because life savings drugs etc should take priority.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

All of the three transexuals that I know personally have lived apparently happily as men and two have fathered children. One in particular, when I told a mutual friend that he was going to become she, friend said "What, that randy b*****d!". Apparently for all three the male bodies worked perfectly well.

Yes, Willow, I too would hate to wake up as a big hairy navvy, but that is largely because all my life experiences have been female ones (they would never let me have a train set) so I wouldn't know how to cope with suddenly being a man.

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I have to go with the majority on this one and say that the tattoo removal should be funded by the person involved;and having seen a news article on the person I really don't think the removal of tattoos will make that much of a difference,she/he/it looked like a burly dustman in a drag act costume.For patients to be playing the "poscode lottery" to get cancer treating drugs and the NHS to be funding farcical ops like this sends out all the wrong messages;someone should get their butt kicked for authorising the op but no doubt if it was refused the infringing of human rights issue would raise it's ugly head once more!:mad:

Re: Changing sex/tattoos.
 

I entirely agree with you Lindsay, having seen his/her/its photograph, it would take more than tattoo removal to make her look "ladylike"!!