A trans Dundee drag queen has spoken out about their struggle with gender dysphoria as they aim to raise money for a medical transition.
18-year-old G McCallum moved to Dundee in 2021 to study English and Film at Dundee University.
G uses the pronouns they/them and identifies as a transmasculine – a person whose gender identity or expression are masculine but not necessarily male.
After coming out as trans in early 2021, G has struggled with gender dysphoria – a mental state where a person has a profound sense of unease or dissatisfaction and is often linked to a variety of mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.
Due to long waiting lists for medical help through the NHS and under-funded gender services in Scotland, G decided to take matters into their own hands and fundraise for medical support.
‘I want to live life more comfortably’
G said: “I decided to start taking the steps to do this because of the dysphoria I face day to day, I want to live life more comfortably so I thought that I would start the fundraiser.
“Dysphoria is feeling uncomfortable within your body but it’s not really the same as something like body dysmorphia or anything like that – it’s a completely unique sensation.
“It’s almost as if being hyper aware of your body and feeling uncomfortable about it.
“For instance I wear a binder throughout the day but I’m always feeling somewhat uncomfortable because I’m aware that my chest is not the way I feel like it should be so it causes me mental discomfort.”
G is looking to raise around £8,000 in order to get top surgery and hormone therapy to alleviate their dysphoria and help them feel more comfortable in their own skin.
“It was really a journey of self discovery and stopping being in denial because once I realised what I was experiencing was dysphoria I realised I’d been experiencing it for a long time and had just been pushing those thoughts to the side,” G said.
After spending a lot of time researching, G decided going private for their treatment would be the best way to go.
‘It’s really hard for anyone to access gender affirming care’
G said: “I’ve done quite a lot of research on the NHS waiting lists and at the moment it’s really hard for anyone to access gender affirming care via the NHS – especially now that some of the most popular gender clinics in the country are completely full.
“A lot of people are going private now which is a little bit expensive but is overall an easier experience and will take a lot less time to be done which is obviously what a lot of people are looking for, especially with surgery.
“They just want it done as soon as possible so it can alleviate a lot of the discomfort.”
G is also a drag queen who regularly performs in the city and across Scotland who goes by the name Dandelion.
They said: “For me drag is just so freeing, it’s such a good form of artistic expression it allows me to make friends and also interact more with the queer community and it also gives me a voice to talk about important issues as well”.
G said they feel Dundee has an accepting community for queer people but believes there is still a long way to go for Scotland.
They said: “I think it is quite an accepting community here in Dundee, it’s definitely more accepting than a place like Stirling which is just still very much set in the old ways.”
G is now gearing up to perform at Dundee Pride on June 10 and 11, the first Pride event held in the city since 2019.
Conversation