Support Meg's Gender-Affirming Top Surgery!!!

Hello! My name is Hilary, and I am organizing this fundraiser to help raise the necessary funds for my incredible partner Meg's gender-affirming top surgery. Meg is trans and genderfluid, using both he/him and she/her pronouns, which can make it difficult for him to get the care that he needs. It has been a long road, but Meg has his surgery scheduled for this August!! We will be traveling for the surgery, and staying a week while Meg is recovering, but the full cost of the surgery is due 2 weeks earlier. We are both graduate students at the University of Illinois, and I want to make sure that when that bill comes, we can pay it and still pay for rent, bills, and food until we get our first paycheck of the academic year in mid-September. The full cost of the surgery is $13,150, and any amount our community can pitch in makes a huge difference. Meg has already fundraised $2,000, so our goal is to get as close to $10,000 as we can.

A Message from Meg:

“Like many Queer and Trans people, I knew from a young age that my gender and sexuality were different, but struggled to find a way to communicate my identity to myself and others. As I went through puberty, I struggled with my chest and the associated physical and social dysphoria especially. The euphoria I felt at much of my appearance and expression was often squashed by needing to perform gender roles satisfactorily and the reduction of my personality to my body and its perceived gender. My internal experience felt fluid and both-and, but physically I disassociated from the part of my body that constantly brought me dysphoria and discomfort. I was careful about what sort of clothes I wore and how they fit on my chest as a teen, avoiding cuts which made me uncomfortable and prompted others to pigeon-hole me. I started wearing compression sports-bras, and then eventually binders, because my dysphoria was so severe. Living for a long time masking my gender fluidity and dysphoria has been difficult, but I deserve to be comfortable in my body, just like anybody else.

This necessary step has been a long road coming. I spent many years protecting myself, and questioning whether I have the right to have queer happiness in my body. As a kid, I dreamed up a body that looked like Link from Ocarina of Time, or like one of the other 90s boys surfing on the Jersey Shore. These might seem like silly examples, but that is the point. These were the fantasy-boys and sunburnt-surfer bros I could see my silly fluid body having fun in, instead of feeling like I was on a high-stakes gender tight-rope at the worst circus of all time. At 33, I have found enough safety and time to process what I needed as a teenager. To try and prioritize bodily happiness for myself over the discomfort, misunderstanding, and lost connection of others is a terrifying thing. As someone who identifies as trans, genderfluid, and bisexual, explaining my liminal identities can sometimes make people confused and alienated, even before getting to the surgery part. All that really matters is this: I’ve always felt like myself, and with a lot of help, I’ve been able to recognize and articulate what I need. What that is right now is to make living in my body match with my experience of myself, so I can finally enjoy every moment to the absolute fullest.”

What is Top Surgery and Who Gets it?

‘Top Surgery’ is a procedure which removes the breast tissue. It is a subcutaneous mastectomy, sometimes also called chest masculinization, and is used as a gender affirming surgery for trans, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals who have breast tissue and are struggling with the effects of gender dysphoria. The procedure only takes 2-4 hours, and the patient is released after only an hour or so in recovery before being discharged from the hospital.

What is Gender Dysphoria?

‘Gender Dysphoria’ refers to feelings of discomfort and distress related to gender incongruence, a misalignment of the gender assigned at birth with the experienced gender of the individual. This psychological distress can be severe, posing a daily challenge for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of those who suffer with it. There is no one-size fits all for trans and gender-affirming healthcare, and everyone’s experience is unique.

What would your Donation pay for?

Your donation will go directly to pay for the cost of the surgery, the procedure itself ($10,500). Extra medical fees, such as anesthesia ($1,015), bloodwork ($230), operating room and hospital stay fees ($2,405), bring the entire procedure to $13,150. $2,000 has already been generously donated. This surgery will be life-changing for Meg and any amount helps to make sure he is able to fully heal without the added burden of medical debt.