WITNESS STATEMENT OF RYAN CASTELLUCCI
____________________________________________________________________
I, Ryan Castellucci, of [address redacted

] will say as follows:
1. I am the Claimant in these proceedings. I make this statement in support of my
challenge regarding the Defendant’s failure to issue me with a Gender
Recognition Certificate (“GRC”) which certifies my acquired gender.
2. I am a cyber security expert originally from California. I moved from the US to
London on a tier 1 visa in December of 2019 to join my partner, who had accepted
a job in London. My partner and I purchased a home here in England, where we
plan to raise a family.
3. I identify as non-binary. I do not use gendered pronouns such as “he” or “she”.
My pronouns are “they”, “them”, “their”, “theirs”, and “themself”.
My gender identity
4. I was assigned male at birth. As a young child, I paid little mind to gender
stereotypes. As I got older, a theme emerged: people thinking I was a woman,
realizing I wasn’t, and then panicking, seemingly expecting anger rather than
apathy. I knew of transgender people, but that didn’t seem like me - while I had
no attachment to masculinity, femininity didn’t appeal either. I didn’t have the
words for how I felt. I didn’t start thinking seriously about my gender until my mid
20s when I realised that I found being called a “man” wrong and distressing.
5. In 2014 I proposed to the woman I’d been with for three years. I took various
steps to pass unambiguously as a man: I cut my hair short and grew a beard.
The wedding was, coincidently, the weekend following the US Supreme Court
ruling requiring nation-wide recognition of same-sex marriage. In 2016 I
disclosed my gender status to my then wife. My wife and I divorced in June 2018
and I met my current partner.
6. Year upon year, I increasingly thought about my gender identity and gender
presentation. I decided that I wanted to take active steps to ensure that my body
aligned with how I understood myself. In January 2020, I began laser hair
removal to give myself a more feminine appearance.
7. The lockdowns provided an opportunity for me to experiment with wearing
clothing that suited my gender identity. I’d already established that I didn’t like
dresses or skirts, but jeans and t-shirts in feminine fits worked. I became more
open about my gender identity. In April 2020, I posted on social media that I
wasn't a man. A number of people I knew started referring to me using the
pronoun “they”, unprompted. I felt recognised and seen.
8. About two months after that, I happened across a mention of a surgical procedure
called “penile preservation vaginoplasty”. This surgery involves preserving the
penis while also creating a fully functional vagina by using a tissue graft. This
surgery would allow my body, and specifically my genitalia, to match how I felt:
both male and female. There were, at the time, only three surgeons openly
offering it, one of whom was based in San Francisco (where I have many friends).
I filled out a form to request a consultation. My mood improved almost
immediately. I had a consultation in June 2020 and a date for the surgery was
set, 14 months out.
9. I then decided that I wanted to come out at work. At work, a tradition had long
since been established for new employees to introduce themselves in the weekly
company-wide meeting. I asked to reintroduce myself as my true gender along
another non-binary employee. Everyone at work was supportive.
10. I had my GP refer me to the Gender Identity Clinic ("GIC"), though I knew that
due to current waitlists it would be a significant amount of time before I would get
an appointment. I made appointments with a couple of private doctors for a
gender dysphoria diagnosis and a referral for hormone replacement therapy
(HRT). The wait, even for a private doctor, was over a month. The first doctor (Dr
Vickie Pasterski) I saw diagnosed me with gender dysphoria. The next doctor
provided a prescription for HRT.
11. I got estradiol (estrogen) and a drug called finasteride which is commonly used
to prevent balding. I chose to forgo any active testosterone suppression, though
the estradiol reduced it somewhat over time. Estrogen made my emotional
responses more acute, softened my facial features, and I grew breasts. I liked
the changes. Dr Pasterski gave me a surgery referral letter and soon it was time
to fly to San Francisco for my surgery.
12. Before my surgery my family, friends, and co-workers attended a party to mark
what an important occasion this was for me. Since I have had surgery, I’ve added
a low dose of testosterone to my HRT to keep my levels between the typical
female and male ranges. I also take progesterone now, along with a big increase
to my estradiol dose. It has been very important to me to change my physiology
to reflect my gender identity.
13. After a number of assessments, on 13 September 2022, Dr Pasterski wrote a
letter confirming that my gender identity is non -binary, that I have been living
openly as non-binary full time since June 2020, that I have received appropriate
medical care to transition from my birth gender to non -binary, and that these
changes are likely to be permanent (‘Exhibit RC1’). I am due to undergo the
second, and final, stage of my surgery in January 2023.