Sam Needs Top Surgery and a Legal Name Change 2K19
Donation protected
Hi all!
My name's Samuel and I'm a 31-year-old trans man living in NYC.
I've been out for over two years, on testosterone for a beautiful 20 months, and now it's time to take the next steps in my transition: top surgery and a legal name change.
I've been binding pretty consistently for the last two and a half years, and it's starting to take its toll on my back and ribs. I get shooting pains if I overexert myself, and wearing multiple layers in warm weather creates an uncomfortable sweat bath and later skin irritation.
After encountering a lot of waitlists for top surgery, I found a great surgeon who can do the procedure on Oct. 17th. He will be doing the procedure at a hospital that takes my insurance, which is great! But my poor barista insurance is not good enough to cover his fee, which will be $7000. I will have to have this fee covered by Oct 1, the date of my pre-op appointment. I also need to get a medical clearance from a physician a month before surgery, to make sure I can go under anesthesia and that I don't have any heart or clotting problems that could complicate the surgery. As for the hospital fees, my insurance deductible is $600 and I am responsible for 20% of all fees after that, so that is another thing to take into account.
I'm also working with The Name Change Project (tldef.org) to get a pro bono lawyer for my legal name change, and my hearing is set for Oct. 2. The lawyer is waiving their fees, but I will still owe $140 for the court fee and for publishing my name change in a paper of record. Also an updated NY State RealID is $40, and a new passport around $140. I am waiting to hear from TLDEF about help with getting my gender marker changed, which is apparently a separate legal process.
I have a small amount of savings that can cover food and expenses for the time I will have to take off, and I will be getting paid medical leave from work (2/3 my normal paycheck for 2-3 weeks). So I am really only fundraising for the estimated actual medical and legal expenses.
I wish I could cover all of this myself, but my job just does not pay that well, and so I need your help. Please help me to feel comfortable in the only body I have and to move around in this world as the fully-realized man I'm meant to be.
Love you all,
Sam
My name's Samuel and I'm a 31-year-old trans man living in NYC.
I've been out for over two years, on testosterone for a beautiful 20 months, and now it's time to take the next steps in my transition: top surgery and a legal name change.
I've been binding pretty consistently for the last two and a half years, and it's starting to take its toll on my back and ribs. I get shooting pains if I overexert myself, and wearing multiple layers in warm weather creates an uncomfortable sweat bath and later skin irritation.
After encountering a lot of waitlists for top surgery, I found a great surgeon who can do the procedure on Oct. 17th. He will be doing the procedure at a hospital that takes my insurance, which is great! But my poor barista insurance is not good enough to cover his fee, which will be $7000. I will have to have this fee covered by Oct 1, the date of my pre-op appointment. I also need to get a medical clearance from a physician a month before surgery, to make sure I can go under anesthesia and that I don't have any heart or clotting problems that could complicate the surgery. As for the hospital fees, my insurance deductible is $600 and I am responsible for 20% of all fees after that, so that is another thing to take into account.
I'm also working with The Name Change Project (tldef.org) to get a pro bono lawyer for my legal name change, and my hearing is set for Oct. 2. The lawyer is waiving their fees, but I will still owe $140 for the court fee and for publishing my name change in a paper of record. Also an updated NY State RealID is $40, and a new passport around $140. I am waiting to hear from TLDEF about help with getting my gender marker changed, which is apparently a separate legal process.
I have a small amount of savings that can cover food and expenses for the time I will have to take off, and I will be getting paid medical leave from work (2/3 my normal paycheck for 2-3 weeks). So I am really only fundraising for the estimated actual medical and legal expenses.
I wish I could cover all of this myself, but my job just does not pay that well, and so I need your help. Please help me to feel comfortable in the only body I have and to move around in this world as the fully-realized man I'm meant to be.
Love you all,
Sam
Organizer
Samuel Morgan Johnston
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY