By Nazih Osseiran
Transgender people in Lebanon are being hit hard by an economic collapse pushing healthcare out of reach, leaving them with impossible choices over how to feed and clothe themselves while ensuring that they receive the medical attention they need.
Meals or medicine? It is a painful choice that 26-year-old Rayan often faces as a Lebanese transgender man who struggles to afford food on top of his hormone therapy.
The latter usually wins. “My medicine comes before my food and drink,” he said. “A lot of the time, I buy my medicine and do not eat.”
The therapy costs approximately $12 (£9.50) per month, comprising $5 (£4) for each of his two injections and another $2 (£1.50) in nursing fees. On top of that come frequent visits to a doctor who monitors his general health and advises him on his hormone medication – sessions that cost the uninsured barman another $50 (£40) each time.
Thomson Reuters Foundation are the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. As an independent charity, they work to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights.