On August 26th I'm scheduled for facial feminization surgery. I've been working towards this for a long time, through years of appointments, paperwork, and setbacks. I have advocated for myself against gatekeepers and misogynists. Now it is finally happening.

Insurance has agreed to pay a significant part of this, but my coverage has limits, and I'm asking for help with what falls outside that.

Here's exactly what I'm raising for:

$6,403: surgery costs.

My insurance sorted my face into "medically necessary" and "cosmetic". I have spent months negotiating a number of these initially so-called "cosmetic" procedures into the coverage scope of my surgery.

This is the amount remaining after I fought tooth and nail. I'm launching three weeks out because I only just received an estimate for what I will owe, and I didn't feel it was right to fundraise until I had a clear quote.

Everything is part of the same operation, during the same session, and for the same reason. When I look in the mirror, I want to see myself. I don't want to drift away anymore.

My insurance company doesn't pay for everything, so I have to. This includes $1,138 remaining on my insurance out-of-pocket maximum, which is due before I go under.

$250: recovery supplies.

Meal replacement shakes and electrolytes for the weeks I'll be on a soft liquid diet after having my jaw bone sawed down. Also includes compression garments and cold therapy for the swelling.

$2,458: six weeks of rent and groceries.

This is one of the more difficult parts to ask for. This year has been exceptionally hard on me & it left my finances drained.

Recovery from facial feminization surgery is not a weekend: it's weeks of swelling, pain, and restricted eating, and a face I can't yet interview for jobs with.

I need to be able to rest afterwards instead of pushing myself too early and setting back both my healing and employment efforts.

That's $9,111 in total costs. The goal is set slightly above to cover estimated payment processing fees from GoFundMe. (Every donation gets charged 2.9% plus 30 cents.)

Anything raised past the goal goes toward recovery time and continuing care. I lose my coverage in the next several months, so I need to have this surgery while I still can.

Many of you have known me for years. You've seen as i become even more myself in a hundred small iterations. This is the most major treatment I have ever had, and I can't cover it on my own.

If you can donate, thank you. If you can't, sharing this page is also vital. Fundraising campaigns succeed through people who pass it along. Both matter; I mean that.

Thank you all for supporting me during an exhausting & transformative season of my life. Solidarity and love. <3