Peter's Top Surgery Freedom Fund!
Donation protected
The man? Peter Fuller. The place? The San Francisco Gender Confirmation Center. The mission? Gender affirming surgery. The cost? ...Up to $9000, not including travel, housing, pre-op consultations, time off work, and recovery costs. Avengers, start assembling! Titans, get going! Power Rangers, get morphin'! Autobots, start rolling out! We've got a long road ahead of us.
My name is Peter James Fuller. I'm an actor, a children's theatre teacher, a freshman college student, and a proud activist. I'm also transgender. Since around age 12, I've known that while I was assigned "female" at birth, I am a man! I'm a cool dude. I first came out publicly and began transitioning at the beginning of my senior year of high school. I am now 18, and I am ready to take the next step in showing the world my authentic self. This is a very exciting prospect, and every time I think about it and my future, my heart swells with joy and anticipation. But I need your help.
What is top surgery exactly? For a transmasculine person such as myself, getting top surgery means that I would be getting a double/bilateral mastectomy. I would finally be able to stop binding! A binder is a compression undergarment, usually shaped like a tank top or half tank top, that many transmasculine, FTM, nonbinary, GNC, and/or other people use to compress their breasts. Many people also use sports bras or compression tape (i.e., KT Tape, TransTape) to bind. Even when using the safest methods, binding can decrease one's lung capacity, cause nerve damage, and/or damage to one's rib cage. These effects may be permanent. As an aspiring actor, I do not want to face these risks any longer than I have to, because it could be an irreversible detriment to my career.
Furthermore, binding puts me at a higher risk of dehydration and heat stroke. Even when I avoid binding to allow myself some breathing room, I often have to layer up to hide my chest and other curves. I try to account for this by hydrating diligently and paying close attention to how much I exert myself in hot, or even just mildly warm weather. Nonetheless, there's been several occasions where I've gotten mild heat stroke that I know could've been avoided if I hadn't needed to try so hard to hide my body just to have my real self acknowledged.
I consider top surgery to be the FINAL step in my transition. It's my end goal, my dream, one that I have held for years. I have survived self harm, suicidal ideations, low academic grades, and much more to make it to where I am now-- a confident, beautiful trans man who is ready to take the world by storm. Top surgery is the last thing holding me back. Even typing this, right here, right now, sets my heart alight and fills my stomach with butterflies. This isn't just a dream; it's also my gateway to countless other dreams and opportunities that I've yet to become able to reach.
This dream is also a stressful one, however. The knowledge of the financial pressure this operation will put me under has been a heavy weight on my shoulders for many years. I've been saving money since I was 15. However, life happens, people have needs and opportunities, and I still do not have very much to spare. As a college student pursuing a BFA, my stress over financial matters has increased tenfold. I do have a part time job. I'm also setting up a process to sell my own art. But it still won't be enough. Even with both my parents and myself holding steady jobs, it is not feasible for us to cover the cost of this surgery on our own.
The current amount listed for fundraising is based on estimates. I will not know the exact cost for my surgery until I can have consultation appointments. The cost listed also does not take into account the cost of transportation (car gas, train tickets, etc), housing (for myself and anyone who takes me to SF and back home), time off work (I will have to stay home for 2-3 weeks following my surgery), recovery costs (painkillers, food, hygienic supplies, etc), and the cost of pre-op consultations. I may find that I will need more or less money in the future. Any surplus that does not go into my surgery will go into helping my recovery. Any additional surplus will be donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations here in my hometown!
I hope to achieve my goal within 2 years. It's not a very long time, but I've seen GoFundMe's for this same procedure get fully funded in half a year! I know we can do it. Every small bit helps. Even if you can't donate, send a link to a friend or post it on social media, or both!
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. I know we can do this.
Thank you so, so much for your help. Words will never able to express the gratitude I feel.
Much love, Peter.
My name is Peter James Fuller. I'm an actor, a children's theatre teacher, a freshman college student, and a proud activist. I'm also transgender. Since around age 12, I've known that while I was assigned "female" at birth, I am a man! I'm a cool dude. I first came out publicly and began transitioning at the beginning of my senior year of high school. I am now 18, and I am ready to take the next step in showing the world my authentic self. This is a very exciting prospect, and every time I think about it and my future, my heart swells with joy and anticipation. But I need your help.
What is top surgery exactly? For a transmasculine person such as myself, getting top surgery means that I would be getting a double/bilateral mastectomy. I would finally be able to stop binding! A binder is a compression undergarment, usually shaped like a tank top or half tank top, that many transmasculine, FTM, nonbinary, GNC, and/or other people use to compress their breasts. Many people also use sports bras or compression tape (i.e., KT Tape, TransTape) to bind. Even when using the safest methods, binding can decrease one's lung capacity, cause nerve damage, and/or damage to one's rib cage. These effects may be permanent. As an aspiring actor, I do not want to face these risks any longer than I have to, because it could be an irreversible detriment to my career.
Furthermore, binding puts me at a higher risk of dehydration and heat stroke. Even when I avoid binding to allow myself some breathing room, I often have to layer up to hide my chest and other curves. I try to account for this by hydrating diligently and paying close attention to how much I exert myself in hot, or even just mildly warm weather. Nonetheless, there's been several occasions where I've gotten mild heat stroke that I know could've been avoided if I hadn't needed to try so hard to hide my body just to have my real self acknowledged.
I consider top surgery to be the FINAL step in my transition. It's my end goal, my dream, one that I have held for years. I have survived self harm, suicidal ideations, low academic grades, and much more to make it to where I am now-- a confident, beautiful trans man who is ready to take the world by storm. Top surgery is the last thing holding me back. Even typing this, right here, right now, sets my heart alight and fills my stomach with butterflies. This isn't just a dream; it's also my gateway to countless other dreams and opportunities that I've yet to become able to reach.
This dream is also a stressful one, however. The knowledge of the financial pressure this operation will put me under has been a heavy weight on my shoulders for many years. I've been saving money since I was 15. However, life happens, people have needs and opportunities, and I still do not have very much to spare. As a college student pursuing a BFA, my stress over financial matters has increased tenfold. I do have a part time job. I'm also setting up a process to sell my own art. But it still won't be enough. Even with both my parents and myself holding steady jobs, it is not feasible for us to cover the cost of this surgery on our own.
The current amount listed for fundraising is based on estimates. I will not know the exact cost for my surgery until I can have consultation appointments. The cost listed also does not take into account the cost of transportation (car gas, train tickets, etc), housing (for myself and anyone who takes me to SF and back home), time off work (I will have to stay home for 2-3 weeks following my surgery), recovery costs (painkillers, food, hygienic supplies, etc), and the cost of pre-op consultations. I may find that I will need more or less money in the future. Any surplus that does not go into my surgery will go into helping my recovery. Any additional surplus will be donated to local LGBTQ+ organizations here in my hometown!
I hope to achieve my goal within 2 years. It's not a very long time, but I've seen GoFundMe's for this same procedure get fully funded in half a year! I know we can do it. Every small bit helps. Even if you can't donate, send a link to a friend or post it on social media, or both!
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. I know we can do this.
Thank you so, so much for your help. Words will never able to express the gratitude I feel.
Much love, Peter.
Organizer and beneficiary
Peter Fuller
Organizer
West Sacramento, CA
Della Anconetani
Beneficiary
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