Valley Royce Lee is a 27 year old trans woman living between the Bay Area of California and a small town about 2.5 hours north. Among many things, she is a farmer, winemaker, community leader, and dear friend. We’re coming together as a community to raise funds in support of her Gender Affirming Facial Feminization Surgery on November 16th. Valley’s surgeons have told her it will take about 4-5 weeks for her to recover from this surgery. On top of her Copay we are hoping to raise funds for one month's rent, and her monthly bills and living expenses as she will be unable to work during this time. We hope you’ll consider donating and sharing this Fundraiser with people far and wide!

Breakdown of Cost

CoPay - 10% of total cost of procedure, roughly $40,000 - $60,000 = Valley will owe roughly $4,000 - $6,000

Live/Work Space Rent - $3,300

Bills/Debt - $1,112

Groceries - $400

Gas - $800

Total for 1 month of living expenses plus the cost of surgery = $11,612

We are asking for $12,500 total to cover the GoFundMe fees (2.9% of total raised) as well as a small buffer for emergency expenses that might arise during recovery.

Valley is a pillar in her community, working for years as a farmer and winemaker in Nevada County, where she was born and raised. Valley grew up in a military family where opportunities for self-expression were limited and shame and repression were more common. It took her many years to come to terms with her identity as a trans woman and publicly started her transition in 2020. Although taking hormones has helped immensely with her day to day life, the decision to pursue FFS is a necessary step not only for Valley’s personal joy and self-love but for her safety as a trans woman in a conservative county. Oftentimes Valley feels unsafe, or unable to be in public in her small town, because of the overarching narrative of conservatism and the miseducation around transness. Valley needs this surgery in order for her to be successful in her work, and thrive and survive in her community.

Valley is currently holding residence in San Francisco so that she can benefit from medical coverage under the Kaiser Permanente umbrella, but has to commute back to Nevada County multiple times a week to tend her vineyards and make wine. She currently works multiple jobs to support the project of winemaking because it has not been a profitable project, even though she has been working on it for 5 years. Farming and Winemaking may not be profitable endeavors, but supporting local farming, and opposing commodity farming is incredibly important to the social fabric of our world. Not only is Valley able to support other small businesses in her community, she is able to put her passion towards a project of care for the earth, and pure earnesty in the product she makes. Her wines are incredibly special, and her ability to continue her work is not only a benefit to herself and her community, but to everyone who is able to experience the distinctive magic of her wines. Valley does not come from a family that can provide her any generational wealth, she has no financial support from anyone other than herself, and now she needs the support of her community, and the world at large to live her life in its fullest expression, and continue to do this work that is so paramount. She is one of the few trans people in the wine community, and maybe the only out trans woman making wine in the world today. We need Valley to live a life of beauty and joy, and ultimately need to come together as a community to make that happen.

We really hope you will consider donating, and thank you for sharing this fundraiser with others!