Hannah Danana is a tattoo apprentice at Liquorice Tattoo in Kirriemuir, Scotland, who just so happens to be transgender with an active GoFundMe campaign. Here Hannah shares her story about what’s meant to happen for you will happen (the meaning of the quote above lovingly taken from her granny)…
I have had an infinity towards tattooing since, at least, my early teens, having always been intrigued by the culture and history surrounding it. I never necessarily saw myself becoming a tattoo artist, despite studying art, but it’s something I’ve been around for most of my adult life and just seemed like a natural fit. I’ve been apprenticing for two years now, going into my third.
I had always known in subtle ways that my body didn’t line up with my gender and that I was “different” but after years of depression and battling with (what I didn’t know at the time was) dysphoria I realised that I was in fact trans. And so for the sake of my wellbeing and mental health and with love and support from my amazing wife, I transitioned. I started in my mid 20s (I’m now 30) before I had begun my apprenticeship. So coming into, what was and still can be predominately a boy’s club, as a transwoman was fairly intimidating.
After a couple of false starts in other studios I found my home at Liquorice Tattoo. Which is an inclusive all female studio. They were massively accepting of me and my journey and gave me a safe space to learn and hone the craft.
Since I started working and learning at Liquorice Tattoo early in my transition I have still been continuing my journey “on the job” as it were, through the NHS. Now, the NHS is and can be, wonderful. But it’s not without its troubles and lengthy waiting lists. Currently the NHS gender clinics in the UK are experiencing massive amounts of patient intakes and because of such, are experiencing unprecedented waiting lists. Which unfortunately means that trans, non-binary and other gender nonconforming people like myself are waiting months, if not years, for their initial appointments never mind starting actual treatment.
Thankfully aside from my lengthy waits with the NHS they have been really good in dealing with me and my transition. But like I said, the NHS is not without its pitfalls and funding being a large issue means that not all treatments available to trans people are deemed “essential”. In my case that was breast augmentation and facial feminisation surgery.
Now, gender dysphoria can be a fickle beast and usually when you tackle one area of distress, another that was lurking in the background becomes far more prominent. The most important part of my transition at first for me was gender confirmation surgery (for anyone unaware of what that is or may entail, I’ll leave it up to them to Google and research.)
After having that surgery (which I am forever grateful to the NHS and the wonderful team at Nuffield Brighton) and eliminating the largest source of gender dysphoria for me, other areas of my dysphoria started to rear their ugly head. And no matter how you try to think your way around it, these features that may or may not be noticeable to others, become all encompassing parts of your body image.
No matter how many times someone comforts you that nobody sees what you see, you’ll never truly be comfortable in your skin until it’s dealt with.
That’s why I started my gofundme campaign. So I could afford the surgeries that the NHS could not offer me and finally feel truly comfortable in myself which I believe everyone has a right to! While the total cost of these surgeries is around the £18,000 mark, I am not trying to raise the full amount (which would be nice). But mostly to soften the blow for any kind of loan that I will likely need to take out to cover them. Without the gofundme campaign it would be years before I could afford them and those who suffer from severe depression know that years are not necessarily guaranteed. One particularly dark period could be the one. But that’s another conversation in and of itself.
Thank you so much to anyone that has shared or donated to the campaign. I am endlessly grateful to all of you.
And to anyone within the LGBT community that aspires to work in the tattoo industry but is too intimidated or scared by its reputation of being un-inclusive or a “boy’s club”. Go for it! Just go ahead and take the plunge. Because for every studio that might turn you away for being an LGBT apprentice there is another, safe, accepting studio waiting with open arms.