A transgender performance poet spoke about his experiences of transitioning as part of Pride celebrations.

Jay Hulme spoke at Queen's Hospital on Friday, June 28, to help raise awareness of the healthcare challenges facing trans patients.

Jay, 22 first visited his GP to start the transition when he was 18.

He described problems such as getting testosterone, fear that talking about depression might cause further delays, how a simple blood test led to him being asked about his genitalia.

He said transsexual people are can wait up to four years to get referred to a gender clinic.

Jay also talked about how transgender issues can affect patients at any age, and how illnesses could be missed if a doctor does not know a patient is transgender.

His overall message was for healthcare workers to be respectful of trans patients.

“I think it’s really important to talk to doctors and healthcare staff about my experience. Everyone will end up in hospital at one point so it’s much better to be prepared for a trans patient before they come in."