Hi everyone,

If you're reading this, I ask that you do so with an open heart and mind.

My name is Ivie and I'm setting up this gofundme in hopes to raise funds for gender affirming care. These funds would go towards covering costs related to my transition such as a tracheal shave and other feminisation surgeries, electrolysis treatments, hormones and more. I have been medically transitioning for several years now, and while I am proud of the progress I have made so far on my own, I am asking for support to continue on this journey.

I currently work full time in the arts & culture industries to support myself and I recently moved back in with family in an attempt to save money towards my transition. However, even with these efforts, the financial burden of trans healthcare in the UK is too much for me to face without support. I began my transition later in life, and while hormones have been life-changing, there are limitations to what they can do alone.

Creating this fundraiser is not something I do lightheartedly and my loved ones know that this is something that has been on my mind for a while.

At a time where my trans siblings are being attacked on the street, abuse hurled at us for simply existing in public and our governments continues to stoke these flames, I want to make it clear that this fundraiser is not about a shopping list of vanity. To me this is the difference between survival, and suffering.

The tangible threat of danger that comes with navigating society as a Black trans woman can often feel overwhelming, and it's often only the support of my fellow trans women of colour that helps me to shake off the dysphoria, depression and anxiety that can regularly make me too afraid to leave my house. We share what little we have, passing the same £20 around, pointing each other toward opportunities, doing what we can for one another.

Now, I’m asking for that support to reach a little further. Please share with your networks if you can. Any help you are able to give is deeply felt and cherished.

With warmth and gratitude,

Ivie x