Juliet Tango's Surgery Fund
The video has nothing to do with my surgery fund, I just think I'm funny. :)
Transitioning in my 30s has been a trial. It's arduous, slow, and painful. I've worked really hard to get as far as I have. I've been medically transitioning for 3 1/2 years, and I've reached a point where I can no longer proceed without paying a fair amount of money for procedures that insurance won't cover.
I need help covering these costs. I work full time in a small consulting company and in my free time I'm a stand-up comedian, but there's no way that'll make enough money for me to get the procedures I need. This is a difficult thing for me to ask, but these medical processes aren't optional for me. I have tried to go without them and doing so has consistently held me back in my personal, mental, and emotional development.
In addition to the costs of surgery, I need to be able to cover my living expenses while I recover. So while insurance will cover genital confirmation surgery, they will not cover the month of bed rest I'll need to take to recover from that.
I'm currently raising money to cover Genital Reconstructive Surgery. I've had my consult and now I have to get the surgery area prepared and wait for my surgery date.
I will be having weekly electrolysis sessions to prepare the surgery area, which will not be covered by insurance.
Donate if you can. I appreciate all of you so so much.
UPDATE: Because of the rescinding of the Medicaid expansion, I'll be losing my healthcare unless I pay for it entirely out of pocket (something I absolutely cannot afford). If you're able, please consider making a donation to help me cover costs for these procedures. I've been waiting years for this and it breaks my heart that the largest barrier to receiving this care is my ability to pay for it.
I'm also currently battling with insurance to cover facial feminization surgery (FFS), something that trans people the world over have been fighting for. Recent research has shown that FFS has the greatest impact on dysphoria for trans feminine people with also the highest level of satisfaction post-surgery. Despite this, very few insurance companies are willing to cover it. Obviously, if I lose my insurance, I cannot continue fighting for this for myself and other trans people. We can't do anything alone.
Much love to everyone out there. Thank you for everything you've done for me so far.
- Juliet
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Links on the efficacy of FFS:
Esmonde, Nick & Najafian, Alireza & Penkin, Amy & Berli, Jens. (2019). The Role of Facial Gender Confirmation Surgery in the Treatment of Gender Dysphoria. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. 30. 1. 10.1097/SCS.0000000000005499.
Dubov, Alex & Fraenkel, Liana. (2018). Facial Feminization Surgery: The Ethics of Gatekeeping in Transgender Health. The American Journal of Bioethics. 18. 3-9. 10.1080/15265161.2018.1531159.
Kuzon, William & Sluiter, Emily & Gast, Katherine. (2018). Exclusion of Medically Necessary Gender-Affirming Surgery for America's Armed Services Veterans. AMA journal of ethics. 20. 403-413. 10.1001/journalofethics.2018.20.4.sect1-1804.
Raffaini M, Magri AS, Agostini T., Full Facial Feminization Surgery: Patient Satisfaction Assessment Based on 180 Procedures Involving 33 Consecutive Patients, Plastic Reconstructive Surgery. 2016 Feb;137(2):438-48. doi: 10.1097/01.prs.0000475754.71333.f6.
Ainsworth, T.A. & Spiegel, J.H., Quality of life of individuals with and without facial feminization surgery or gender reassignment surgery, Qual Life Research (2010) 19: 1019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010-9668-7
