A non-binary transgender man is raising money for a mastectomy after a delay in approval for his surgery from the NHS in England.

Jude Orlando Enjolras, a 29 year old university librarian who lives in Birmingham, experiences dysphoria because of his breasts, meaning he has to bind them down for around twelve hours each day - which causes him breathing problems, back pains and worsens his scoliosis.

As he is non-binary, gender non-conforming trans man, Jude is regularly mistaken for a woman; so he is regularly asked personal questions about his body and sexuality and harassed by passers by in the street because of his appearance.

Jude Orlando Enjolras, a 29 year old university librarian who lives in Birmingham, experiences dysphoria because of his breasts, meaning he has to bind them down for around twelve hours each day - which causes him breathing problems, back pains and worsens his scoliosis.

As he is non-binary, gender non-conforming trans man, Jude is regularly mistaken for a woman; so he is regularly asked personal questions about his body and sexuality and harassed by passers by in the street because of his appearance.

He said: "Pointing out that I am not a woman, at best, leads to ridicule. At worst, it leads to a man realising he's just catcalled a boy, and feeling threatened in his masculinity.

"I have lost friends. I have faced direct discrimination when trying to access medical and public services.

He added: "Every time I need to use the bathroom, I risk invasion of my personal space, verbal abuse, and physical violence."

Jude is genderqueer, at times feels neither male nor female, which doctors say puts him at higher risk of regretting the procedure - despite that he has lived as a man for over a year and changed the gender on his passport.

He also suffers from depression and anxiety, made worse by lengthy NHS protocols, several months on waiting lists and the requirement for mental health counselling whilst awaiting the verdict. This would mean paying £36 out of his own pocket for frequent meetings with a non-binary gender specialist.

"The extra hoops they are making me jump through because my identity 'doesn't fit protocol' are unreasonable, expensive, and unnecessarily prolong my physical and emotional distress," he said.

But as improved mental health is necessary for the NHS to greenlight Jude's medical procedure, he feels he has to hold back his frustration and anger to make progress.

"The psychiatrists ask me 'What would Jude want in 20 years' time?' So I couldn't tell them that without surgery, there would be no Jude in 20 years' time. I couldn't mention that 42% of trans people attempt suicide, many because they cannot cope with the gatekeeping of necessary treatment.

"I call the top surgery I need 'life-saving' - because it is."

Jude began looking into having private surgery, but couldn't afford the procedure due to only working part-time as a result of his health problems.

Taking matters into his own hands, Jude raised £1500 last year; through his GoFundMe campaign, he raised £2325 of the further £3500 he needs to cover the mastectomy and crowd-funding fees.

He said: "The support I have received for my fundraiser has been incredible. I've received many generous donations from friends and complete strangers the world over, and even more messages of solidarity.

"Being trans can be painfully alienating, so I am very grateful for all of the kindness people have shown me. Such kindness is doubly healing - in and of itself, and because each act of kindness brings me that much closer to life-saving surgery."

Though Jude is coming close to his target funds, he says that there is so much that has to be improved for people to respect transgender and queer people - for example, not assuming that everyone is cisgender in the first place, and not judging people on whether they dress feminine or masculine.

"Listen to trans people when we talk about our gender experience. Believe us when we tell you who we are, even if you don't completely understand. You don't have to understand someone's experience to respect it," he said.

He added: "Most of all, treat trans people as people. Respect us, our privacy, our personal space."

What would Jude tell someone who is struggling with their own identity?

"There are no rules," he said.

"There is no right or wrong way to "do" gender. There's no right or wrong way to be trans.

"If you identify as trans, then you are. You are trans enough, even if you don't fit in the gender

binary, even if you don't feel like 'x' trapped in the body of 'y'.

He added: "You are valid, real, important. Your experiences matter. Most importantly, you are not alone."

Donate to Jude's Chest Fund at http://www.gofundme.com/judeschestfund