The best day of Eric’s life came just days before the worst.
After years of waiting, dozens of tests and two weeks in a psychiatric hospital, Eric finally got his first dose of testosterone. Eric is 23 years old this year transgender from Ukraine. Designated female at birth, he says starting hormone treatment was an important step in his journey to becoming who he really is.
“It was the ultimate happiness. I was so excited, it was the moment I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Eric, who asked not to use his last name out of concern for his safety, told CNN in Chisinau, Moldova. in July.
But just days after Eric was given the first of a series of testosterone injections performed at a clinic in Kiev, Russia Invades Ukraine. Everything has change.
“The clinic is closed because of the threat of air strikes. I’ve got testosterone, but there’s no way to get it [it administered]. I don’t have needles and in pharmacies there’s a lot of things missing, even the most basic things, because obviously, during the war, there was a great demand for things like syringes,” Eric said.
Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine has turned the lives of millions of Ukrainians upside down. But for Eric and many others transgenderwar also makes it much more difficult to be human.
Many people lose access to vital medication and psychological help. Some were completely cut off from their communities and forced into spaces where LGBTQ people were not welcome, according to the report. Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe.
Bureaucratic issues, such as identity documents issued to a different gender, can put them at greater risk.
Ukrainian Transgender Rights Group Army says they have helped more than 1,500 people since the start of the war, assisting them to move to safer areas and helping them pay their bills. The NGO also works with shelters to ensure they have the basic supplies they need.
According to Anastasiia Yeva Domani, Cohort co-founder and chief executive officer, the number one request Cohort has received in recent months has been for help with hormone therapy, or HRT.
HRT can be used by transgender women, transgender men, and non-bisexuals to make their appearance more consistent with their gender identity. The drug alters the body’s levels of the hormone testosterone or estrogen and triggers the physical changes that usually occur during puberty.
