Many trans people are forced into sex work in order to pay for the medical aspects of gender transition, and often this puts them at risk of drug abuse and physical harm. I’ve been there myself. I live in Britain, where transgender people are entitled to surgery and psychotherapy on the NHS – but even here we have to pay for things such as laser hair removal, seen as a “cosmetic” luxury by the NHS, but essential for any trans woman cursed with thick stubble. In the US, health insurance varies from state to state, leaving some transgender Americans covered, others to fend for themselves.

That doesn’t mean Caitlyn Jenner’s transition isn’t significant. We need trans people from all walks of life challenging perceptions at every level of society. Transgender knows no boundaries when it comes to age, race or social class. As Laura Jane Grace, another American trans hero, pointed out to me on Sunday, Jenner matters culturally – and we need people who inhabit that space to complement the work being done at grassroots level to improve life for trans people.