Denied HRT - Help Ducky Access Trans Healthcare!

Hi, I'm Sam and my friend is in trouble. They have been denied essential HRT in their own city and are facing immense mental health struggles because of it. Their only choices are to wait - not possible given their mental health - or to travel to a farther city for treatment. I'm fundraising to help them afford transit to the farther city so they can start treatment before the end of the year and put an end to their dysphoria.

[Image ID: A closeup of a gold and black enamel pin reading "THEY / THEM" sits on a black surface in front of a person wearing a black button-up shirt. /end ID]

Ducky has written out their story below; please read for details, and thank you for donating or sharing.

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My name is Ducky (they/them), I'm a disabled 26 year old queer trans person in need of help!

I am nonbinary / trans-masc and have been trying to get officially started on HRT for well over a YEAR. I live in Ontario where gender affirming healthcare is (by law, if not always by practice) readily available and is mostly covered- but that's only if your doctor(s) isn't massively transphobic, of course.

My doctor's office as a whole does not believe that nonbinary trans people are 'really trans' and have done everything possible to negate my attempts at accessing HRT. They've 'lost' referrals, delayed referrals, purposefully dragged out test results, deleted or 'lost' messages I left, straight up ghosted me, and now my doctor has up and left the practice with absolutely no plan in place for me to have ANYONE give me any form of treatment whatsoever.

I am in the process of reporting them, as where I live this is blatantly illegal- especially their incessant misgendering and deadnaming of me. However, the process of reporting them to the associated college is a long one, and won't necessarily pan out with me receiving what I need/asked for. (And even if it did- I do not feel comfortable receiving any form of care at this practice in the future. It's a very unsafe space.)

So I now have to find a different provider / physician that is taking patients and doesn't have a waitlist miles long. (I cannot wait 6, 8, 10 months. I am extremely unsafe, unstable, and all around unwell in every way I can be- I've been in and out of a crisis center more than once for extreme dysphoria, among other related issues. This is extremely urgent.)

The only places I have found that can take new patients relatively soon are anywhere from 3 to 5 cities away by public transit.

I am disabled, unemployed, and cannot work. I am also NOT on disability because my doctor's office has delayed that paperwork as well. This means I have ZERO FUNDS to cover this travel and related expenses, and I am trapped being unable to physically get myself the care that IS available to me and WILL be properly provided.

I am in talks with a few places available to determine which can provide me the fastest most accessible HRT- and once decided, I will need to transit anywhere from 60 to 90 kilometers ONE WAY to receive that care. I will need to do this multiple times for multiple appointments.

Using transit cost calculators, I've estimated that for the initial appointments getting started (probably 3, I've been told) it will cost me anywhere from $150 to $200+ in transit, and $100+ in accomodations* total.

*Many of these places are far enough away that I physically could not do all the travel in 1 day and would require cheap accomodations for a night. Due to my disabilities I cannot travel for extended periods of time, and I also have to avoid certain methods of transportation (some inaccessible buses & trains, lengthy rides in cramped spaces that make my joints to lock up, etc) which unfortunately raises the cost.

I'm trying to raise this money in multiple ways and I am genuinely desperate. My dysphoria is at an all-time high, and my mental health is at an all-time low. As it is now, I rarely leave my apartment, and when I do need to it always ends with some variation of a dysphoria induced anxiety attack or a complete mental shutdown. I no longer feel comfortable going out to see friends, or even just check the mail. I'm so uncomfortable in my body that I spend every second wearing triple xl clothes while trying to distract myself from my body. I avoid showers, speaking out loud, existing in general.

If anyone has any spare money they would be willing to put toward this HRT access fund (aka Help Ducky Get Their Gender Juice) it would make a really, really huge difference and would be an actual life-saver !

Thank you so much to the friends and strangers who have offered what help they can, and another big thank you to anyone who shares this, or is in the position to donate!! You're wonderful people and I'm so grateful. ♡

- Ducky (they/them)