'Love yourself': local transgender man opens up about top surgery

Love yourself.

That's the message Dane Woodland is sharing this week, following his recent top surgery — a mastectomy and chest sculpting procedure for which he had been fundraising for the past year.

Woodland, who was born female but identifies as male, recently travelled to Mississauga, Ontario to have the operation.

The surgery removed both breasts and contoured his chest to give it a more masculine appearance. 

After returning to St. John's following the surgery, he reached a significant milestone in his journey by officially completing the paperwork to change his birth certificate from female to male. 

The changes come after a year in which Woodland said he worked hard to improve his own self-image.

Road to surgery started last year

Woodland said he was feeling very self-conscious and anxious about his physical appearance around this time last year.

Like many people in their early 20s, he had a busy lifestyle: studying at Memorial University, working as a personal trainer at a fitness centre and bartending downtown on the weekends.

At work and in public, he said his gender dysphoria made it difficult to be fully comfortable as he was.

For the last year, he's worn a binder under his clothes to conceal his breasts.

As a personal trainer, however, Woodland said wearing it could be quite frustrating.

The binder often gave him rashes and affected his breathing as well as the type of clothes he could wear. 

He decided he wanted to have top surgery to help him feel more comfortable in his own skin. 

Difficult to receive government funding 

Although the federal government provides funding for a transgender mastectomy, the process comes with long wait times.

Woodland said this was hard to accept, given his mental and physical health.  

"There was no help from public health care," he said.

"There is a wait list of about two to five years to get into the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto to get diagnosed and then be referred."

The funding also doesn't include contouring: the chest sculpting procedure that many female-to-male transgender people get following a mastectomy. 

Due to this, Woodland decided to create a GoFundMe page to raise money to have the surgery sooner, at a private clinic.

"I was going through a lot emotionally, it was very difficult for me," he said. 

"With the opportunity to raise the money and get the surgery sooner, I definitely went for it because I can't imagine waiting any longer than that."

Through GoFundMe and other community fundraising events, Woodland was able to reach his goal.

The total cost of the surgery, not including transportation and after-surgery care, came to $7,910.

Surgery has increased confidence

Since having the surgery just over two weeks ago, Woodland said he already feels a lot better.

Many of the things that once made him hesitate, like showing his ID at airports or seeing himself in the mirror at work, are easier now.

"The gym is full of mirrors, so I was constantly looking out of the corner of my eye, or checking my shirt, or adjusting my jacket," he said.

"I used to wear a jacket always when I was working, to make sure I was covering my chest and stuff like that to feel confident."

"I'm wearing tighter clothing [now] and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and confident."

He said most members of his gym have been incredibly supportive. 

"Even people that I probably made the mistake of judging and assumed they probably wouldn't be supportive of me, took the time to come over and introduce themselves and say, 'I'm here if you need anything.'"

Woodland said he's learned a lot in the past year and is trying his best to become a more visible advocate for the transgender community. 

"A lot of people have said to me they've learned stuff that they would have never otherwise had an opportunity to learn," he said. "They've been motivated to do things differently and see things differently."

"I had one client in particular, I remember she was having a conversation with me about a family member who was coping with someone who was coming out as gay, and she kind of looked at me and said, 'What do you think? Is it okay for people to be gay?' and I said, 'well ... let me tell you something."'

Thankful for support from loved ones

Woodland has begun speaking at schools and said he's often approached by others going through the same thing. 

He said it's helped him realize how lucky he's been to receive support from family and loved ones.

Woodland's partner, Heather Alexander, has been with him since the beginning.

The pair started dating shortly after Woodland started transitioning and Alexander said she's never once changed how she felt about him. 

"Before he had the top surgery, he put a lot of pressure on himself to look a certain way just because of his dysphoria," she said. 

"I try to just tell him, 'You're pushing for something bigger than yourself. It's not just about what you're facing on a daily basis. It's how you represent a community that may not be so comfortable and confident to speak out.'"

After a year in which he's experienced a huge physical and emotional transformation, Woodland says he has a few key takeaways. 

"It's important to love yourself in every form," he said. "Our bodies may not be the ideal of perfection, so I think it's important to have that self-acceptance."

 "That's the biggest priority and the biggest thing I`ve learned in the last year."