Hi friend! I am asking for your hard earned money because I am getting top surgery (a double mastectomy) this July and would like your help paying the $5000 insurance copay.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Billy and I am a trans Utahn and an educator. The choice to medically transition in our current political climate while also working in public education will probably be one of the bravest decisions I’ll ever make. I grew up in Cache Valley, served a mission, and was openly gay while attending BYU, but Utah state law is scarier than the Honor Code. I feel incredibly lucky to have the job I do and receive health benefits that will enable me to masculinize my chest, something I’ve wanted since puberty. However, the reality is, if a bill like Utah’s failed HB183 were to become legislation, my decision to live comfortably in my body would become a lawmakers decision to terminate my livelihood.

For those still wondering what I’m doing that’s so dangerous, I am living as a nonbinary person, full they/them. I use these terms because they feel like the best way to describe myself and it makes me happy. If you get it you get it, if you don’t you don’t. Ultimately, I just want to be thought of as a person, a real life human being with a beating heart and a nice ass. Because of the nature of my job, I don’t feel safe being fully “out” at school but it’s obvious something fruity is going on. While I am afraid of how transitioning may effect my safety and security, I also feel confident that now is the time to be brave. I could never imagine an adult like me when I was a growing up, but the bravery of queerdos inspired me to become more and more who I am. The act of becoming in community with people who love me has been liberating.

There are so many people with far greater needs, but if you’re still reading this, you must care about me in some way, and if you care about me, then I could use your help. I am going to get top surgery either way, but donating to support my medical care would help me save money for things like building an emergency fund, getting out of debt, or moving to a state where I am more free to be me. In a world rife with suffering, asking for help is hard, so if you came all this way and decide not to donate, I only ask that you do something to help somebody.