Tattoo studio raises money to provide free laser hair removal to LGBTQ+ people

Siren's Call Tattooing's efforts are inspired by the company owner's experiences with transitioning and the lack of resources available.

News . Written by Saoirse Schad.

Close up of Alden Tank in front of mirror showing off the new tattoo studio uniform
Image: Instagram via @sirenscalltattooing

Alden Tank (they/them) is the driving force behind Siren’s Call Tattooing, the tattoo studio raising funds to provide gender-affirming laser hair removal for UK-based Trans and non-binary individuals.

They are Trans and neurodivergent and they began the campaign to raise £15,000 which will go towards purchasing a laser hair removal machine and training staff to provide these free treatments for LGBTQ+ folks struggling with gender dysphoria.

 

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A post shared by Alden Tank (@sirenscalltattooing)

Siren’s Call Tattooing is also looking to register for charity status to provide this service to the community, with funds being raised by public donation through a GoFundMe page.

“I realised that basically this country has absolutely no help,” Tank told PinkNews. “It’s so underfunded, waitlists are between four to eight years just to get seen on the NHS.”

They added, “The government’s been in power for ten years, and they’ve not done anything to alleviate that, which means they have no intention of ever really helping our community.”

While the tattoo studio owner acknowledged the psychological importance of “dysphoria beating treatments” for Trans and non-binary folks, they also point out an important safety component “to avoid hate crimes and just being assaulted or insulted in public.”

“A five o’clock shadow is a dead giveaway of a Trans woman,” they said, “and that can really bring dangerous and unwanted attention.” Thus, Tank identified laser hair removal as a “massive safety feature” which can significantly impact the mental health of the individual seeking this treatment.

“History has proven that the LGBTQ+ people will only move forward and be able to have a better life if we fight for it and take it ourselves,” Tank goes on to say. “Coming together as a whole community is how we’ve gotten this far.”

They concluded, “This might be a small and maybe a little niche charity on the whole, but it’s still an important one. It can offer so much to many Trans and non-binary people in need.”

If you want to donate to the campaign to “destroy dysphoria” by Siren’s Call Tattooing, you can do so here.  At the time of writing, the campaign has reached £1,230 of its £15,000 goal.

© 2022 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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