TACKLING transphobia will help give a voice to those too frightened to speak out against abuse, says an Oxford man.

Finn Games said he suffered “appalling” aftercare following his surgery, but like many others in the transgender community, was too scared to say anything in case it was stopped completely.

But the 41-year-old, who lives in Jericho, said a report last week urging ministers to tackle discrimination will be the first step in eradicating those fears.

He said: “To hear it publicly acknowledged that they are failing the people in the transgender community means so much.

“I have heard so many stories where transgender people have had GPs refuse to treat them.

“When I’ve gone to have surgery, it is always the aftercare I have had problems with.

“It was appalling. People do not treat you the same because you are transgender and they do not understand what you are going through.

“It was really frightening. You are too scared to say something because these are the people helping you, and if you make a complaint they could treat you even worse.”

Presented by Nicky Morgan, minister for women and equalities, the report is the first by a UK parliamentary committee to tackle transgender issues.

It estimates that as many as 650,000 people in the UK are “gender incongruent to some degree” and the transphobia they experience undermines their living standards and mental and physical health.

The strategy calls for the recognition of gender to be based on self-declaration, rather than a medical assessment.

Mr Games said: “We need to move transgender away from mental health services.

“At the moment it is still very much put into psychiatric treatment. This is not a mental health issue and it is sending out the wrong message.

“Help for the transgender community needs to be in mainstream services.”

He also hopes ministers will look to shorten operation waiting times to reduce the risk of suicides.

He added: “Forty-one per cent of people attempt suicide while they wait for their operations.

“If we cannot do anything to shorten the waiting list then we need to put support in place to help these people.

“I only ever transitioned to be happy and to be me.”

Seventy-year-old Clare Suttil, who lives in Banbury, said she considered suicide after the NHS initially refused to fund her operation.

She said: “It really got me down. I was a bit suicidal because I just wanted to be the person I always knew I was.

“I was going to go to Thailand to have my surgery because a friend recommended a hospital there.

“But when I finally got the letter through from the NHS in 2009 it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. It is indescribable, finally becoming who you are.

“And now we are seeing youngsters who are six, seven years old, and support needs to be put in place for them and their families as they discover their identity.”

Rob Jordan, chairman of Oxford Pride, said it is unacceptable for transgender people not to have the same rights. He said: “A transgender person has no legal recognition until the age of 18, and without parental consent would not be looked at as the person they truly know they are until that time.”