A British transsexual who had a $15,000 sex change in 2007 now deems living as a female to be too “exhausting,” and wants British taxpayers to pay roughly $22,000 to undo the original procedure.
Chelsea Attonley, 30, who was born Matthew, recently told British magazine Closer “I have always longed to be a woman, but no amount of surgery can give me an actual female body, and I feel like I am living a lie,” The Daily Mirror reported Wednesday.
“I need to have these operations for the sake of my mental health. I am lucky enough to live in a country where there is free health care,” the London resident added.
The transsexual, who has started taking testosterone, said that she must have the breast implants removed and possibly penis reconstruction surgery. She is hoping that her bill will be taken care of by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).
“If people criticize me for wanting treatment on the NHS, it does not bother me. I know I need these changes to make me happy, and no one should deny me that,” Ms. Attonley said, the paper reported.
Alex Wild, the director of The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA), a British organization for lower taxes, said, “The NHS must prioritize crucial front line services over ridiculous vanity operations. […] If the Health Service is to be properly funded, this sort of waste must be cut out,” The Daily Mail reported.
Ms. Attonley, who isn’t working due to the alleged stress she is under, said she would not feel bad about saddling British taxpayers with the reverse-sex change operation because she doesn’t “consider it a choice,” The Daily Mail reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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