I will be receiving top surgery this July (hooray!) and YOU can help! Queer lives and expression are so vital and we all deserve the chance to live as our most authentic selves, especially now when times are so uncertain. I spent most of my life feeling out of place both in my body and in the dance studio. I felt like I couldn't truly embrace my gender while also continuing to dance; I was constantly fighting for my own space in ballet while almost all my peers never even had to question theirs. Trying to balance staying true to myself while also staying within the strict boxes ballet was built on eventually took its toll and I was afraid I would have to choose between my greatest love and protecting myself. I prepared myself to leave dance behind completely, but instead took a chance and moved to Minnesota to join Ballet Co. Laboratory where, over the past few years, I have had the great joy of being a part of a community that celebrates what makes us different, but still, my body doesn't quite feel like home. I have been undergoing hormone replacement therapy for about a year and a half, and now we have come to the next step in my journey.

My gender journey has brought me so much joy, but it has also taken more bravery than I ever thought I had. To be trans in a world that every day becomes less and less kind is really frightening. I cannot stress enough how much gender affirming healthcare IS lifesaving.