Hey there!
I’m hoping this fundraiser gets spread around the internet a little bit, so in case you don’t know me, my name is Jo Newton. I’m going to be a senior at a small Christian college this fall. I want to be a professional stage manager when I graduate (someone who works in technical theatre), and I’m nonbinary.
I came out as nonbinary publicly the summer before my sophomore year of college, but it’s something I’ve known my whole life, and been able to put language to since I was in ninth grade. Being nonbinary means a lot to me and is a huge part of my identity, but one of the important aspects of it that I don’t often talk about is dysphoria.
Dysphoria is one of the hallmarks of the typical transgender/nonbinary experience. The American Psychological Association defines it as “a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify. People with gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned, sometimes described as being uncomfortable with their body (particularly developments during puberty) or being uncomfortable with the expected roles of their assigned gender.” Currently, the medically recommended treatment for dysphoria is transitioning.
Transitioning means aligning your social or physical characteristics to align with your internal understanding of your gender. I transitioned when I changed my name. I transitioned when I cut my hair short. But now it’s time to continue transitioning.
I don't have a date yet, but I know that sometime within the next year (and likely within this calendar year) I will be having a gender-confirming mastectomy, or what’s known within the LGBT+ community as top surgery. The shape of my chest has always been a source of great discomfort for me, because it just doesn’t exist in my internal conception of myself the way it does externally. They don’t align. Per the advice of the most up-to-date medical literature, two therapists, a pastor, and several friends, as well as years of soul-searching and praying, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to take this step.
Because this has to do with gender and not with cancer, my insurance will not cover it (unless I spend a year on testosterone first, but that is not something that I wish to do or that I think would be helpful for me). I’ve done copious amounts of research and settled on Dr. Scott Mosser in San Francisco as the surgeon I would like to perform this surgery. The grand total it would cost, between the surgery itself, the cost of the operating room, the anesthesia cost, the cost for travel for myself and a caretaker, the cost for accommodations for the seven nights we have to stay in San Francisco, the cost of food for the duration of our stay, the cost of miscellaneous post-op needs, the cost of transportation, and the cost of processing fees on GoFundMe is $14,537.72 plus $0.30 per donation. I’m not anticipating paying for everything by fundraising. I am, however, a broke college student, so every little bit you can throw my way helps.
I also am willing to compensate you for your donations. I can write, edit, draw, paint, sing, act in a limited capacity, create paperwork, organize stuff, bake for you if you’re local to me, and do all sorts of things. If you want to pay me to do something for you, I will do it. Just let me know what it is.
Thank you so much for reading and donating if you can! If you can’t (and honestly even if you can), sharing this helps tremendously. The further this gets spread, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to raise the funds I need for this very important step in my life.
Much love to you all!
I’m hoping this fundraiser gets spread around the internet a little bit, so in case you don’t know me, my name is Jo Newton. I’m going to be a senior at a small Christian college this fall. I want to be a professional stage manager when I graduate (someone who works in technical theatre), and I’m nonbinary.
I came out as nonbinary publicly the summer before my sophomore year of college, but it’s something I’ve known my whole life, and been able to put language to since I was in ninth grade. Being nonbinary means a lot to me and is a huge part of my identity, but one of the important aspects of it that I don’t often talk about is dysphoria.
Dysphoria is one of the hallmarks of the typical transgender/nonbinary experience. The American Psychological Association defines it as “a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify. People with gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned, sometimes described as being uncomfortable with their body (particularly developments during puberty) or being uncomfortable with the expected roles of their assigned gender.” Currently, the medically recommended treatment for dysphoria is transitioning.
Transitioning means aligning your social or physical characteristics to align with your internal understanding of your gender. I transitioned when I changed my name. I transitioned when I cut my hair short. But now it’s time to continue transitioning.
I don't have a date yet, but I know that sometime within the next year (and likely within this calendar year) I will be having a gender-confirming mastectomy, or what’s known within the LGBT+ community as top surgery. The shape of my chest has always been a source of great discomfort for me, because it just doesn’t exist in my internal conception of myself the way it does externally. They don’t align. Per the advice of the most up-to-date medical literature, two therapists, a pastor, and several friends, as well as years of soul-searching and praying, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to take this step.
Because this has to do with gender and not with cancer, my insurance will not cover it (unless I spend a year on testosterone first, but that is not something that I wish to do or that I think would be helpful for me). I’ve done copious amounts of research and settled on Dr. Scott Mosser in San Francisco as the surgeon I would like to perform this surgery. The grand total it would cost, between the surgery itself, the cost of the operating room, the anesthesia cost, the cost for travel for myself and a caretaker, the cost for accommodations for the seven nights we have to stay in San Francisco, the cost of food for the duration of our stay, the cost of miscellaneous post-op needs, the cost of transportation, and the cost of processing fees on GoFundMe is $14,537.72 plus $0.30 per donation. I’m not anticipating paying for everything by fundraising. I am, however, a broke college student, so every little bit you can throw my way helps.
I also am willing to compensate you for your donations. I can write, edit, draw, paint, sing, act in a limited capacity, create paperwork, organize stuff, bake for you if you’re local to me, and do all sorts of things. If you want to pay me to do something for you, I will do it. Just let me know what it is.
Thank you so much for reading and donating if you can! If you can’t (and honestly even if you can), sharing this helps tremendously. The further this gets spread, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to raise the funds I need for this very important step in my life.
Much love to you all!