My name is Patch Fraga and I am a 24-year-old trans man living in Northern California, Humboldt area. I was born and raised in Humboldt County on a small dairy and since then, have hit the ground running on celebrating the food, community & culture I have been lucky to grow up in. In 2021, I started my business Patches' Pastries out of a little coffee shop in Arcata. Patches' Pastries has now grown into a queer-owned & operated wholesale, retail bakery specializing in coffee house baked goods & sweet treats, based in Ferndale while serving most of Humboldt County.

I specify that Patches' Pastries is a queer-owned & operated business because visibility is important. Mainstream media tends to portray transgender individuals in a controversial light or with unrealistic standards of what being trans & queer looks like. I believe it is important to remind people that we’re everywhere & yes, it’s normal! I have always tried to advocate for queer people in Humboldt through my presence & openness to the community at large and hope to only continue this work as my business grows.

Some background on my trans journey that I have never shared like this before ~~ I began realizing I was transgender a little past my 11th birthday, though at the time, I didn't have the education or awareness to understand that transgender people existed. I finally came out to my family during my senior year of high school in 2016 & started taking hormones (testosterone) in Oct 2018.

Five years into my medical transition, I am finally ready to complete the last step - top surgery. Top surgery isn't something all trans people want or need, but it is something that I have had as a goal of mine for years.

Finding the time to step away from my profession has been a recurring hardship. This year, in 2023, I was scheduled to have my top surgery in late January. Sadly, after the earthquake that rocked Humboldt County on Dec 20th, 2022, my business was pushed to the limit financially and I quickly had to come to the realization that keeping my business alive was going to have to outweigh my mental health.

While transgender healthcare is expensive, I am lucky that my insurance covers a majority of the procedure. Out-of-pocket expenses on my end include travel & lodging in San Francisco for a little over 1 week & two additional visits back for follow-up appointments.

My new surgery date is Jan 2024 & the largest expense will be the cost of filling in a replacement for me at Patches' Pastries. Due to the nature of the work, it's recommended that I do not work for at least 6 weeks after my surgery. Like most small businesses, I rarely pay myself anything over covering my basic bills & definitely work a lot more hours than I will ever be able to pay myself. I am wanting to use the majority of the money raised to carry my business along during this 6-week period of my absence by hiring two part-time (or one full-time) people to assist my partner in production, vending & delivering our baked goods.

Anything you can donate helps (or support by purchasing products from us directly in-store, online, or through a wholesale account) & I really appreciate that you took the time to read about my little journey of life. I am so excited to finally get this surgery done, for my body & mental health. Thank you for your support; it's always meant the world to me.