Support Daniel's Gender Affirming Surgery
Donation protected
Hello Beloveds,
My name is Daniel Coleman (he/they). I am a Mixed-Black transmasculine non-binary queer person based in North Carolina. As an artist-scholar, I engage in my communities as a movement healer and am particularly invested in supporting fellow Black trans kindred loving their bodies into wholeness. My life is centered on creating world making freedoms and possibilities for BIPOC queer and trans people. And I am here to ask for your support towards life-affirming top-surgery.
I have been walking this journey as a trans person for six-plus years now. I see myself as someone always in the process of becoming – a lifetime praxis and I need community support to continue. I am choosing to get gender-affirming top surgery with Dr Beverly Fischer in Baltimore, MD. This surgery will allow me to be more in my body and will greatly enhance my sense of safety in the world. I love Dr Fischer's results and am very happy to have my surgery with her. My surgery is scheduled for January 6th, 2021.
Now, why am I asking for support?
Though I work full-time and have health care, I receive no transgender coverage because North Carolina has banned it. Even with full-time work, the lack of coverage creates a significant financial burden for me. Top surgery is one of the interventions that affirm trans people's identity and safety in the world and therefore, should be covered and considered medically necessary. However, due to bigoted transphobic state legislature in North Carolina, all transgender care was taken off of Blue Cross Blue Shield as of 2018. Calling all transgender care "elective" is the conservative and violent grounds for dismissal that means we have to fight for care and find creative ways to meet the costs. The State continues to do violence to trans bodies (particularly trans bodies of color) but we find other ways to thrive and to affirm ourselves in our truest natures.
The total amount for the surgery, including follow-up appointments and all fees, is $8,700. I am asking for $10,000 to account for the percentage GoFundMe takes, travel costs, as well as to have some dog walking care and delivered meals to support me during the first two weeks of my recovery.
I ask for monetary support only from those in the position to give. I ask for my community to share this GoFundMe far and wide. Any amount given towards my surgery will be received as a love donation towards affirming this Mixed-Black trans body. The completion of this surgery will make me feel more aligned and safe. This comfort and safety will give me even greater bandwidth to continue to build up other queer and trans BIPOC communities.
At the end of all of this, I am looking forward to swimming with freedom, dancing more seriously again, going through airport security without the same scrutiny, putting on a t-shirt for the first time, no un-affirming bras, and generally making freer clothing choices, feeling a greater sense of happiness in my body, and feeling less fear of violence in numerous situations.
Thank you for walking this journey with me and for affirming my right to trans-life-affirming health care. Everything given here will be paid forward to others in my communities.
Thank you for celebrating this step towards a greater wholeness.
In deep queer/trans love,
Daniel
My name is Daniel Coleman (he/they). I am a Mixed-Black transmasculine non-binary queer person based in North Carolina. As an artist-scholar, I engage in my communities as a movement healer and am particularly invested in supporting fellow Black trans kindred loving their bodies into wholeness. My life is centered on creating world making freedoms and possibilities for BIPOC queer and trans people. And I am here to ask for your support towards life-affirming top-surgery.
I have been walking this journey as a trans person for six-plus years now. I see myself as someone always in the process of becoming – a lifetime praxis and I need community support to continue. I am choosing to get gender-affirming top surgery with Dr Beverly Fischer in Baltimore, MD. This surgery will allow me to be more in my body and will greatly enhance my sense of safety in the world. I love Dr Fischer's results and am very happy to have my surgery with her. My surgery is scheduled for January 6th, 2021.
Now, why am I asking for support?
Though I work full-time and have health care, I receive no transgender coverage because North Carolina has banned it. Even with full-time work, the lack of coverage creates a significant financial burden for me. Top surgery is one of the interventions that affirm trans people's identity and safety in the world and therefore, should be covered and considered medically necessary. However, due to bigoted transphobic state legislature in North Carolina, all transgender care was taken off of Blue Cross Blue Shield as of 2018. Calling all transgender care "elective" is the conservative and violent grounds for dismissal that means we have to fight for care and find creative ways to meet the costs. The State continues to do violence to trans bodies (particularly trans bodies of color) but we find other ways to thrive and to affirm ourselves in our truest natures.
The total amount for the surgery, including follow-up appointments and all fees, is $8,700. I am asking for $10,000 to account for the percentage GoFundMe takes, travel costs, as well as to have some dog walking care and delivered meals to support me during the first two weeks of my recovery.
I ask for monetary support only from those in the position to give. I ask for my community to share this GoFundMe far and wide. Any amount given towards my surgery will be received as a love donation towards affirming this Mixed-Black trans body. The completion of this surgery will make me feel more aligned and safe. This comfort and safety will give me even greater bandwidth to continue to build up other queer and trans BIPOC communities.
At the end of all of this, I am looking forward to swimming with freedom, dancing more seriously again, going through airport security without the same scrutiny, putting on a t-shirt for the first time, no un-affirming bras, and generally making freer clothing choices, feeling a greater sense of happiness in my body, and feeling less fear of violence in numerous situations.
Thank you for walking this journey with me and for affirming my right to trans-life-affirming health care. Everything given here will be paid forward to others in my communities.
Thank you for celebrating this step towards a greater wholeness.
In deep queer/trans love,
Daniel
Organizer
Daniel B. Coleman
Organizer
Greensboro, NC
