Healing Fund for Yukon Queers

Hello folks far and not so far, 2 wonderful human of the Whitehorse 2SLGBTQIA+ community are going under the knife on September 5th.

Islai Rathlin (they/them) aka Izzy Rees is a non-binary, disabled person who is a queer-poly-neurodivergent Social Worker therapist servicing clients in Whitehorse, Yukon and beyond! They host community events and raise money for different BIPOC organizations along the way.

They are having an emergency hysterectomy on September 5th, 2023. A few weeks ago they learned that they have aggressive pre-cancerous cells and have to get their ute yeeted ASAP. They have been asking for a gender-affirming hysterectomy for some time, but due to complex health issues they have been continually turned away for being "high risk". Now it seems their uterus is giving doctors no choice and it has to go. That being said, they had little time to prepare for surgery and have not been able to put away funds for much needed cushion due to the above noted complex health issues. They have extensive monthly medication expenses to manage their chronic condition, and there is a chance that surgeons will have to opt for measures more invasive than the laparoscopic procedure we are crossing our fingers for.

Either way, their work will be impacted and being a self employed therapist means no sick pay, no benefits, no cushion while they are recovering so any help to cover costs of groceries, medication and rent are appreciated! You can e-transfer funds directly to them at <islairhysrathlinATgmail.com>.

Jeszika Mae (he/him) is a Black and Indigenous, disabled trans-masc human who is going under the knife September 15th. He is a community organizer of drag shows, musician, radio host, drag performer, and has been working in social advocacy for the BIPOC and queer community for 8 years. Jeszika was laid off from his Yukon Government job because his Drag performance work was seen as a "conflict". He is a jack-of-all-trades and kind human extraordinaire.

He is finally--after a 3 year long wait--having top surgery (let's be real...this is a 3 year official wait according to the healthcare system...he's wanted that weight off his chest for a much, much longer time). He is a single parent to a lovely kiddo, and will be greatly impacted while unable to work during recovery. If you would like to contribute to his healing fund directly, you can e-transfer to <comewhatmae867ATgmail.com>.

If you are able to contribute to this campaign, funds will be divided according to need in collaboration with both these lovely humans.

Any leftover funds will be donated to a local charity organization (TBD) or held onto and used for other Yukon Queers in need of healing/recovery support.