Help Chloe Access the Gender Affirming Care She Needs

Hi friends! My name is Chloe, and while this is a very difficult thing for me to do, I am asking for help to access healthcare.

After five years of trying, I am very close to finally getting the gender affirming care I need, but I need just a bit more help to make it all possible. If I have impacted your life, and you are able to help contribute in anyway to help me get the care I need, I would be extremely grateful and appreciative ❤️

Why I need help:

As you can tell from this GoFundMe, trans healthcare is prohibitively expensive and, despite what some media sources tell you, it’s extremely difficult to access.

After five years of adamantly seeking out care, I was recently scheduled to have top surgery in early August (so long as I can raise enough funds) and will hopefully have bottom surgery scheduled for early next year.

As someone who grew up in a lower class family, and who hasn’t exactly been dealt the best hand in life since (to say the least), I need help affording the care that I need. It is difficult for me to ask for this help, but it is something that is necessary for my health, and I have been encouraged by many in my life including my therapist and close friends to make this fundraiser.

A few months ago, I also lost my main source of income and have been struggling to find a new source of stable income (in any field) and only recently obtained stable housing.

Please only donate if you have the means and it would not cause any burdens on you to do so. The last thing I would want would be to deregulate anyone else’s financial situation.

I would like to quickly note that this care is not “cosmetic.” This is real healthcare that will significantly improve my quality of life and is necessary to help improve my mental and physical health. As a comparison, think about gender affirming care like a knee replacement. While I may not die without it, it is vitally important to my health and quality of life.

This is care I needed to access a long time ago, but haven’t had the opportunity to access yet, due to the prohibitive costs and societal and medical barriers to getting it. Your contribution would help me finally get the care I need.

What the money is going toward:

This is an all-inclusive fund for all of the gender affirming care that I receive, rather than doing multiple GoFundMes for each individual thing. These funds will go to:

-Medical expenses that insurance does not cover for both bottom and top surgery

-Associated required hair removal for surgical procedures

-Assistance with recovery costs

-Postoperative garments and medical supplies

Getting access to this care will drastically improve my quality of life. It will significantly improve my mental and physical health, it will make me feel whole inside my body, and it will finally allow me to live as my whole, true self.

This estimate is on the lower side of the actual cost, once everything is done. In the unlikely event I end up with excess funds, they will be donated to similar gender affirming care GoFundMes or the Trevor Project (which helps support queer and trans young folks).

My story:

It is difficult for me to open up and be vulnerable. But I would do anything to get access to the care I so desperately need, and so I am choosing to share my story with you.

I grew up in a religious and conservative working class family in the small-ish town of Kalamazoo, MI. I had a tough childhood, in several ways. I have lived on my own and been self-sufficient (even though I have struggled) since I was 17.

I’ve known who I was since a young age. I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to become my true self until after I lived on my own. In 2020, I made the incredibly difficult but also incredibly rewarding decision to come out. I was finally able to begin HRT in July of that year, and publicly came out on September 1, 2020.

While coming out did bring a lot of challenges, it is also the most incredible thing I have ever done for myself and my mental health. To no longer have to hide in the shadows and pretend to be someone I’m not has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me in life, and it has led to significant improvements in my mental and physical health.

I attended Michigan State University for undergrad in East Lansing, MI. While it was always my dream to work in film/theater, I chose the “practical” path and did a pre-law program. My intention was to continue on to law school, but unfortunately that dream was unable to come true. After I came out, I was disowned by the majority of my family (thank you to those who are still in my life), and I no longer had someone who could co-sign student loans for me, making it impossible for me to attend law school. Unfortunately, this left me with a lot of student debt and a degree that isn’t super useful outside of attending law school.

Since undergrad, I have moved to Chicago and began to chase my dreams of working in film and theater. Thus far, I have had some minor successes. I regularly perform at the Second City and iO, was cast in a television pilot filming later next month, have acted in several short films, been an assistant editor on a feature length documentary, and worked on many smaller projects. I also work side jobs in photography, music, and helping produce theater productions.

I am also very politically active. I volunteered for the Harris campaign, attend protests, am active in local politics, and do everything I can to help make this world a better place ✨

I have had to overcome many struggles in my life. I struggle with chronic health conditions including asthma and a heart condition, I live with several mental health issues, I am unfortunately a survivor of both SA and DV, I lost many of my friends and family for being myself, and much more. And, as I’m sure you know, this world isn’t always too kind to those in the queer and trans communities.

Thank you message

I am extremely grateful for any support you are able to offer and just appreciative if you took the time to read this. Thank you so so much for your time, energy, and consideration. I cannot express how much it means to me. Thank you! ❤️

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To those who are anti-trans healthcare: I understand that some of you may disagree that trans healthcare is important. I am seeking support in something that is vital to my health and life, and I am respectfully not looking to argue about my human rights at this time.