Imago Bulletin #003

Dear Imago Members and Supporters,

I hereby present Imago Bulletin #003. Our first annual report, but there’s more to make it special.

A year ago, Imago was just a fragile idea, with one patient and one reluctant doctor. The vision I dared to pursue faced vicious hostility, most of it, ironically, from a few self-proclaimed pseudo-activists, virtue signalling defeatists outraged and horrified with the notion of genuine progress stealing their spotlight.

By April, our world changed overnight. A wave of trans individuals, betrayed by a clinic’s unconscionable actions and terrified of de-transitioning, turned to Imago in desperation. The volume of cries for help far exceeded the resources we had. It was a harrowing period of uncertainty, fear, and exhaustion – but we emerged stronger, more determined, and with a renewed sense of purpose.

Today, Imago stands tall as a vibrant team of dedicated idealists, most of us trans, driven by a shared mission to make trans healthcare accessible, humane, and grounded in science. In April, we worried whether we could help 100 patients a month. (We did!) Today, we are capable of helping 1,000.

Yet numbers are not the sole measure of our success. We achieved goals many deemed impossible and proved our detractors wrong – those who wished for our failure and actively worked to make it happen. But this is not a time to rest on our laurels. As always, I’ll celebrate our triumphs, but I won’t shy away from acknowledging our shortcomings or expressing regrets.

Triumphs

• Imago offers the fastest access to trans healthcare in Europe, while staying true to its goal and principle of providing medically legitimate and safe therapies. Eight months ago, the waiting time for medical appointment was approximately 6 weeks. It is less than 1 week now!

• Starting 01.01.2025, Imago members can access gender-affirming surgeries performed by some of the most experienced and talented surgeons in their fields, a result of one year of scrupulously selecting a strategic partner. More...

• We proudly copy-paste from the first Bulletin: “no prescription was left rejected, even in famously trans-hostile countries”.

• This year, two brave members – with seven others contemplating similar action – have made the courageous decision to hold transphobic doctors, pharmacists, and even parents accountable for violating their rights. Their determination to seek justice, despite the potential risk of further discrimination and insult, is profoundly inspiring. I deeply respect their refusal to allow those who undermine our dignity to escape accountability. Imago stands firmly by their side, offering unwavering support through every step of the process – from preparing lawsuits to initiating license revocations and pursuing criminal charges when necessary.

• We’ve taken the first step toward a global benchmark in trans healthcare. Our app, though in its infancy, is growing rapidly and promises to set new standards for quality and accessibility.

• We mentioned incompetent or malicious doctors and pharmacists. But it would be unjust to omit acknowledgement of those many GPs collaborating with us, supporting their patients, and treating their role as a calling, not money-grabbing or power-abusing opportunity. Those decent and honest are stronger in number than I expected.

Failures & regrets

• We finally introduced our app – but it remains a work in progress. We only took our first steps towards making an envisioned dream service come true. Imago is a living organism we had to operate on to replace our old patchwork of tools with a new system so malfunctions, desynchronisation, and other technical issues were inevitable. I guess, every transition has its challenges. ;)

• During our most critical months this spring, our team carried enormous responsibility. In a typical business, failure is an (most likely) option. After all, human life rarely depends on it. Knowledge of how many people’s hopes our failure would shatter induced high levels of stress and anxiety; we lacked staff and we lacked tools. And, as a result, we made mistakes. Some functionalities did not work properly, some processes were burdensome, some responses were not swift enough. I apologize for all inconveniences you faced – and I thank you for trusting us in our formative year!

Future challenges

• I decided to focus our attention on just one question in this section. This year, we introduced basic emergency support for people in need of GAHT. Next year, we are going to start fulfilling the promise of making an actual difference on a systemic level. Let’s not deceive ourselves, a dark night for human rights, reason, and decency is setting across the ocean, encouraging bullies and tyrants all over the world. I never underestimate menace of neither simple brutal malicious barbarity nor full-blown totalitarianism. But it is no time to despair. It’s time to act. I have reasons to stay optimistic about my plan, and I look forward to sharing them with you soon.

As we close this chapter, I want to thank for your trust and belief in our mission, for your stories, ideas, heartwarming words of encouragement and gratitude which made the darkest days brighter, and the most beautiful gift: a sight of your joy and happiness. Let us welcome the coming year with happiness, pride, wonder, and the drive to make our world a little better for us all.

With gratitude and hope,
Zofia

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