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Hey y’all, I’m asking for help.
On June 25th I am having the first of two major gender affirming surgeries, which will put me in the hospital for 9 days and have me out of work for at least a month. The surgeries are covered by insurance, but that just means they’re expensive rather than ruinous, and I only have 40hrs of paid sick leave (though half of my income is from tips which are not included in sick leave). There’s also medications, bills, and other expenses during recovery. All told this is going to be a doozy, so I thought I’d reach out to my amazing community for support.
Some of you may know me from growing up outside of Atlanta, or from our years at SCAD in Savannah. Others may have met me when I traveled working on my board game Grow. Many of you I’ve met since settling in Seattle, where I’ve lived for the past 5 years. For those who don’t know me, my name is Beatrice Flowers, a 27 year old trans girl. I’m a barista with a degree in game design, an artist, DM and roleplayer, cook, furniture designer, and all around nerd.
I’ve been living my authentic life as best I can since coming out in 2016, despite the many hurdles that exist for trans people. Transitioning is hard. It is emotionally exhausting and expensive. For the past three years I’ve had to put many of my aspirations and goals on hold while dealing with these challenges. Having these surgeries become an option for me is something I never thought would happen this early in my life, and I am incredibly excited for the multitude of ways they will bring me joy and fulfillment. However, capitalism still controls us all and I, like many other trans folk, cannot afford doing this on my own.
Over this next year I will be having two operations:
June 25th: bottom surgery 1 paired with breast augmentation
December 3rd: bottom surgery 2 THE REVENGENCE paired with facial feminization
Here is our best estimate of expenses:
•Out of pocket surgery costs (for bottom surgery and breast aug)- $5,500
•Portland expenses(lodging for my partner, food, transportation to/from)- $2,000
•Rent/Bills for when I’m out of work for 2 months total in 2019- $3,000
•Lodging, airfare, and food for surgery #2 in Phoenix -$900
•Facial surgery- ??? unsure of cost yet since insurance considers these procedures “cosmetic” despite the amount of violence trans women suffer from not passing.
I am asking for $15,000 since I have no idea what the end total of the second surgery is going to be and cushion for other unforeseen expenses. Whether or not I reach my goal, I will be moving forward with these plans, albeit with overwhelming debt. I’ve put my life on hold for long enough, help me take this step forward, (and share this wherever you can!)
Thank you <3
On June 25th I am having the first of two major gender affirming surgeries, which will put me in the hospital for 9 days and have me out of work for at least a month. The surgeries are covered by insurance, but that just means they’re expensive rather than ruinous, and I only have 40hrs of paid sick leave (though half of my income is from tips which are not included in sick leave). There’s also medications, bills, and other expenses during recovery. All told this is going to be a doozy, so I thought I’d reach out to my amazing community for support.
Some of you may know me from growing up outside of Atlanta, or from our years at SCAD in Savannah. Others may have met me when I traveled working on my board game Grow. Many of you I’ve met since settling in Seattle, where I’ve lived for the past 5 years. For those who don’t know me, my name is Beatrice Flowers, a 27 year old trans girl. I’m a barista with a degree in game design, an artist, DM and roleplayer, cook, furniture designer, and all around nerd.
I’ve been living my authentic life as best I can since coming out in 2016, despite the many hurdles that exist for trans people. Transitioning is hard. It is emotionally exhausting and expensive. For the past three years I’ve had to put many of my aspirations and goals on hold while dealing with these challenges. Having these surgeries become an option for me is something I never thought would happen this early in my life, and I am incredibly excited for the multitude of ways they will bring me joy and fulfillment. However, capitalism still controls us all and I, like many other trans folk, cannot afford doing this on my own.
Over this next year I will be having two operations:
June 25th: bottom surgery 1 paired with breast augmentation
December 3rd: bottom surgery 2 THE REVENGENCE paired with facial feminization
Here is our best estimate of expenses:
•Out of pocket surgery costs (for bottom surgery and breast aug)- $5,500
•Portland expenses(lodging for my partner, food, transportation to/from)- $2,000
•Rent/Bills for when I’m out of work for 2 months total in 2019- $3,000
•Lodging, airfare, and food for surgery #2 in Phoenix -$900
•Facial surgery- ??? unsure of cost yet since insurance considers these procedures “cosmetic” despite the amount of violence trans women suffer from not passing.
I am asking for $15,000 since I have no idea what the end total of the second surgery is going to be and cushion for other unforeseen expenses. Whether or not I reach my goal, I will be moving forward with these plans, albeit with overwhelming debt. I’ve put my life on hold for long enough, help me take this step forward, (and share this wherever you can!)
Thank you <3