As a government report reveals the transgender community is being failed, one transgender woman describes her experiences and the issues she faces.
Becky Hutchison has described her own transition and life as a transgender woman in Beccles and the struggle she faced growing up in the 'wrong body'.
The 51-year-old shop worker said: 'If my story can help one person to actually understand what it's like, that's a good thing.
'It was tough growing up in north London and I felt I was on edge all the time and I had a bad temper, but when I came out to everyone, I felt like a weight had been lifted and my temper eased.
'I felt I needed to hide it because I didn't want to hurt my family but when I moved here in 2001, I just thought why am I hiding,
'I need to be me. I thought it's about time I lived as me and not as someone else - after living a lie for all those years.'
After making the decision that she wanted to be a woman, she decided to speak to her doctor.
'About 11 years ago, I went to my doctor and told him what I wanted to do and he told me to go away and deal with it,' she said.
'I changed doctors and my new one has been fantastic.'
Miss Hutchinson was referred to the Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic and was required to live as a woman for a number of years before she underwent surgery.
The final stage of her process would be to undergo breast augmentation surgery which Miss Hutchison has been told cannot be funded by the NHS.
She said: 'It gets to the point where you just want that final step but I need it now because of getting some abuse and stuff like that. I keep thinking that if I could get the breast augmentation done I wouldn't be a victim of mis-gender.
'All my friends are really supportive and like me for being true to me.
'The people of Beccles are mostly great but I have had the odd one or two incidents and I'm always on edge when I go out in case someone shouts abuse.
'But all I've done is be me and true to the way I feel.'
Miss Hutchison's friends have rallied around to try and raise the £3,500-plus cost for the operation, and have set up a crowdfunding page.
Ellie Cairns-Ellis from Ditchingham, who set up the page, said: 'It was just something I felt really strongly about.
'A lot of people know Becky and know the journey she has been on, so to get this far and not to be able to fund the final part of the procedure, it made me want to do something.
'We need to show our support and remind the community that Beccles, in general, is an inclusive town and embraces its LBGT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.'
•Have you got a story? Email the details to lynn.crombie@archant.co.uk or call 01502 712060 to speak to a reporter.
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