Sheffield mum launches fundraiser to give trans son ‘life-changing’ surgery to feel like his ‘true self’

Mum-of-three Rachel Tinsley has launched an online appeal for help to raise £12,000 to help her transgender son, Kallvin, undergo ‘life-changing’ surgery at a private clinic in London as part of his transition.

Kallvin Tinsley, an arts student at Rotherham College, first told his mother he was transgender at the age of 11, and he was soon referred to the Gender Identity Services in Leeds. Following a long wait list, he was then started on a lengthy assessment process for medical intervention before being started on hormone blockers last year to desperately stop the effects of puberty.

Now aged 17, he is getting ready to start the next phase of his transition by starting testosterone later this year, as well as undergoing surgery to remove his breast tissue when he turns 18 in March 2024 - a procedure which Rachel says will help him to be his “true, authentic self, on the outside as well as the inside”.

Rachel, 45, says it has been far from a plain-sailing journey for the former Outwood Academy City student, dealing with bullying, hate crimes, and even being disowned by some of his family members - all combined with crippling gender dysphoria.

Rachel, a personal trainer at Ponds Forge, said they were told the waiting list for surgery on the NHS is currently six years, prompting the mission to raise money to pay for the procedure privately.

She said: “When I talk about the fundraiser, I’ve had a few people ask what’s wrong with waiting all that time, and it’s because it causes such distress to Kall.

“He can’t get in the shower sometimes for up to two weeks because he can’t stand to look at his body. He can’t go swimming without wearing a T-shirt, which then raises questions from people.”

She recalled one terrifying incident her son recently dealt with on a night out, when he was approached by a stranger who called him a ‘dirty tranny’ and spat at him.

“He’s had his fair few hate crimes in this past year, one being just before Christmas where a 30-year-old woman attacked him in town,” she said.

“She came right up into his face, asking him if he was a girl or a boy. Kall said he was a boy, so she grabbed his chest and then said ‘no you're not, you're a girl, you dirty tranny’, and started spitting on him.

“Kall said to me after that incident with that woman ‘I don't want to go out anymore, I'm scared. Next time it could be a knife’, and the sad reality is it's true. I can't say it's not going to happen because clearly it can.”

Rachel and her family, who recently moved from Sheffield to Waverley, are planning a number of events and activities to help raise money for Kall’s surgery. Rachel is currently in the process of organising a big event on September 15 at Ponds Forge with a buffet, drag queens, bingo, raffles and a DJ.

To donate to the fundraiser, please visit: https://gofund.me/b54144de