Hey y’all :D My name is Nikolai Mather and I’m a transmasc writer based in Wilmington, North Carolina. After about ten years of living openly as a trans man, I’m finally ready and able to get top surgery.

The good news is that my health insurance apparently covers this procedure. The bad news is that my co-pay for this procedure is $3,000. More bad news: I’ll have to take an unpaid leave of absence from my job as a reporter to recover. That means I’ll have to pony up additional money (roughly $2,000) to cover my rent and living expenses for the month of November.

I’ve written extensively about the challenges of life as a trans person in the South, but anyone could tell you that the greatest barrier to our safety is money. Many of us are already at an economic disadvantage on the basis of healthcare alone — if you choose to take hormones or get surgery, you’re often paying thousands of dollars to just be at peace with your own body or pass. Couple that with non-accepting households and non-accepting jobs, and you tend to end up in a pretty desperate spot.

I’m lucky enough to have a job and support system that accepts me, but even with all those things (and multiple side hustles lol), I don’t have the money to cover this procedure. Meanwhile, the anti-trans harassment I’ve experienced for the past decade has been getting worse. I’ve had some pretty frightening encounters this past year due to getting clocked. Top surgery would change all of that. It would help me pass in places — on the beach, in the bathroom, in little country gas stations — where I’d otherwise be unsafe.

If you’ve benefited from my reporting on trans rights in North Carolina, or heard me play music round town, or if you just want to support a tboy in need, please consider donating or sharing or both. I am forever grateful for your support.