Hi guys! My name is Max, and I’m a 20 year old trans guy. I am a mixed martial artist, cosplayer, artist, runner, editor, actor, and much more! I enjoy going to the beach and shredding the waves (attempting to shred, anyway), and baking things that are usually barely edible!

I am starting this fundraiser to raise money for my top surgery, as insurance will not cover it and I’m paying for school on top of regular living expenses. This surgery will help me live a fuller, healthier, and more comfortable life, as I plan on working in a physically demanding environment, and some aspects of my sport require its athletes to go shirtless (like fighting in a cage-match).

I began transitioning when I was 14, and have been going stealth since 16. I joined the boys wrestling team my senior year in high school, and have been taking men’s martial arts classes since I was 16. Because I live in a very rural town, being trans hasn’t always been easy. In fact, my father disowned me after I turned 18, and hasn’t spoken to me since. My extended family have lost all interest in me, and some of the last words spoken were “you’re going to hell.” My high school shunned me and tried to shut me up every time I raised question to their discrimination. I even protested at my graduation, after having been kicked off the wrestling team (even after placing at regionals), refused the chance to participate in campus events, and denied the use of my name at the ceremony, all because of my “controversial” identity.

That said, I’ve never let such negativity stop me. I just graduated summa cum laude with my AA degree and am starting the spring semester for my bachelor’s, I’m excelling in my sport, and have worked two jobs for the past two years while full-time in school. I have some amazing friends and teammates who support me, and my mother and siblings who always have my back.

My main goal has always been to show the world that being transgender is not some hysterical, sinful, or embarrassing sickness. Instead, it is beautiful, resilient, creative, and accepting. I cannot say I’ve changed the minds of the masses, but I have personally changed a few perspectives by living the way that I do. And for me, a few is enough, because that change will ripple off and reach others in ways I never could.