A transgender woman has killed herself after a botched backyard operation by an “unlicensed practitioner” with “less training than a veterinarian” left her body horrifically mutilated.
Frustrated at not being able to find a more conventional surgeon, the 24-year-old endured a horrific ordeal in October 2019 in an attempt to have her testicles removed.
The operation, performed on a tarpaulin laid over a bed in a Melbourne home, led to serious complications, including excessive bleeding.
The botched operation was halted when the victim was rushed to Casey Hospital in the city’s southeast.
Following the botched operation, the victim was rushed to Casey Hospital in Melbourne
Cecilia Jones, a friend of the transgender woman, revealed details of the horrific incident.
“She said she was lying on a tarp on the bed and there was blood everywhere,” Ms Jones said the Herald Sun.
‘She felt desperate and she found this man online.
“The way I saw it, a vet was better (qualified).”
The transgender woman’s mother, Rachel Byrne, is furious that the hospital did not report the matter to police despite being told what happened.
“No one cared about my child – that’s unforgivable,” she said.
Casey Hospital operator Monash Health declined to comment to the Herald Sun, citing “ongoing obligations to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.”
The transgender woman took her own life 18 months after the operation using a drug from an Australian chemical company that is being investigated.
It is unclear whether the ‘surgeon’ can be charged, as Australian law targets those who falsely claim to be licensed practitioners – and not those who make no such claims.
The Victorian coroner is currently investigating the suicide, along with four other suicides committed by transgender people.
In a submission to the inquest, Transgender Victoria said gender-affirming care is difficult to obtain and male-to-female surgery starting at $20,000 can also be unaffordable.
“Female genital surgery may be difficult or impossible to obtain in Victoria or Australia,” the submission said
“A trans or gender diverse person will often delay affirming their gender until living in their birth gender becomes unbearable.
This often manifests in a strong feeling that their choice is to affirm their gender or commit suicide.”
The advocacy group said transgender people have among the highest rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts in Australia with gender-affirming care “medically necessary” to save lives.
Monash Health has been contacted for comment.