Update: I have a surgery date set! I’m getting surgery on September 3rd! 

Hi friends, loved ones, and potentially strangers!

I'm Shilo, a trans hairdresser and educator in Richmond, VA. I've been openly genderqueer since high school and began my medical transition in 2021. Lockdown made me more trans, what can I say. Even before I realized I was trans, though, I've always felt a strong level of discomfort with my chest. I hit puberty at a very young age, and was the only third grader with a noticeable chest in my class. This was the start of my dysphoria, though at the time, I didn't know that's what it was called. As long as I've had a noticeable chest, I've wanted it gone. Before I knew I was trans, I talked about wanting a breast reduction as far back as 12 years old, if not even earlier. I've been binding my chest for over a decade, resulting in chest pain and a dip in my ribcage that wasn't there when I was younger, and making it nearly impossible for me to bind comfortably now.

I'm very fortunate, and my insurance has approved my top surgery. Even with this good news, though, the out-of-pocket cost is still outside of what I can financially manage on my own. I'm also going to be turning 26 in October, meaning the offer of insurance will disappear with my ability to stay under my parents' plan. That, in combination with anxiety about the potential future of trans healthcare in America (I'm a hairy man who's been on testosterone for 4 years, and having a chest pretty obviously outs me), has me scrambling to get this surgery done as soon as I possibly can. Hopefully, before the end of the summer.

That's a short timeline, I know, and certainly isn't long enough for me to save up that money on my own. In addition to the cost of surgery, I'll be out of work for up to 6-8 weeks. The money I'm hoping to raise will cover the cost of surgery, lost wages from over a month of bedrest, and, hopefully, some of the follow-up medical appointments I'll have to attend post-surgery.

If you're able to donate to this fundraiser, not only will you have my eternal gratitude, but you'll be directly improving my quality of life. My chest dysphoria has not only caused me physical pain from binding too tightly for as long as I did, but also emotional pain, keeping me from participating in hobbies that bring me joy and contributing to social dysphoria. This surgery is going to change my life for the better, and your contributions will make that a possibility.

If you've read this far, thank you. Even if you don't donate, I know times are tough for everyone right now, I appreciate you taking time out of your day to read my story.

Much love, and with much appreciation,

Shilo