A transgender man who lost £2,000 raised by the public when his top surgery in Turkey fell through has said an anaesthetist was "fatphobic" when they blocked his "life-changing" treatment from taking place. Elliot Webster-Mockett, 34, a British Sign Language interpreter trainee living in Glasgow with his spouse Bea, 34, came out as trans in 2021 and wanted top surgery a procedure that alters the chest to remove breast tissue to "boost (his) self-confidence". Facing NHS wait times of between five to eight years and high private costs in the UK, Elliot found through a post on Instagram that he could have the procedure, travel and stay in Turkey for around £6,000.
After raising the funds via GoFundMe, Elliot travelled to Turkey to have the surgery in December 2022, but it was called off when he says he encountered fatphobia from both the anaesthetist and the Instagram agent who organised the trip. At 5ft 6in (1.6m) tall, weighing 18 stone and one pound (115kg) Elliot had a BMI of 40.
9, classing him as severely obese at the time, and when filling out a health questionnaire before leaving the UK there were no concerns with his weight. However, the anaesthetist decided additional scans were required before they could sedate Elliot which would have cost an extra £1,000 and gone beyond Elliot's surgery date, ultimately meaning he was forced to fly home. Elliot said his surgeon told him the anaesthetist was "fatphobic" and his weight had been healthy enough to go ahead.
After two y.