For those of you who don't know me, my name is Síofra. I’m a 33 year old Trans woman. I was born in NYC and grew up between here & Ireland. I’m the founder of T.R.A.N. NY (@tran4ny) and manage a handful of independent community access programmes, with a focus on supporting Trans+ people (especially Black & brown Trans women and FSSWs) in accessing no-cost gender-affirming care.

In a week & a half's time, I'll be undergoing the first of two consecutive medically necessary revisions to gender affirming surgeries I had in the summer of 2024. Together, these two major surgeries will leave me unable to work for around three months. Although I had hoped these two procedures were behind me - I have continued to struggle with upper respiratory issues, migraines, difficulties with my sleep & persistent worsening dysphoria because of the negligence, dishonesty & malpractice I experienced at the hands of a surgeon who I unfortunately trusted on multiple occasions. This situation has impacted my recovery from a handful of unrelated procedures (one of which is the procedure I'll be undergoing revisions for later this month) & will likely have long-term implications for my health.

I've never been the best at asking for help. I’ve worked extremely hard this past year to find some small amount of financial & housing stability after a difficult run of setbacks. I am not paid for my work as a community organiser. On the contrary, sustaining this work regularly leaves me out of pocket for hundreds of dollars at a time. I have no family support and work several side hustles on top of a full-time community organising schedule in order to afford my monthly basic costs of living. I've regularly put my last dollar into my work, regardless of whether or not I could afford to do so. In spite of my best efforts, the growing demand for the work that I do has made it a considerable challenge to set aside savings for these upcoming revisions. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to push ahead as the future of Trans+ healthcare in the United States becomes more & more uncertain. Although it has not been easy to get these revisions approved, insurance will thankfully be covering 100% of my medical bills. I'm asking for your help to raise $6,500 to ensure my rent & utilities are paid for 3 months of recovery and to enable me to purchase the necessary post-op supplies for a successful surgical outcome.

In spite of the financial hurdles it has presented, I would not trade the work I do for anything. It's not an exaggeration to say that over the last 3 years, this work has radically changed my life. I'm beyond grateful for the community it has helped me to build and the truly incredible women who it has brought into my life. Through all of this, my sisters have been my rock (Calima, Cici, Devin, Emilio, Eva, Gabi, Mars, Tala, Tivali, Winter - I'll never understand what I've done to deserve all of you but I love you dolls to the ends of the earth & back, truly). To the dozens of other dolls who have given me a reason to keep pushing through this absurd year (Alaska, Aya, Dinah, Gia, Geneva, Hayden, Jaye, Iman, Memphy, Siete, Vudu - just a handful of names who come to mind but whether we've known each other for 3 months or 3 years, each of you has had a profound impact on me this year whether you know it or not & ily).. somehow the list of incredible women in my life seems to go on forever (far too many to name you all), but if you're reading this you (hopefully) know who you are and I'm so beyond grateful for every single one of you.

If you've read this far thank you, and to each & every person who donates to and shares this request - I'm so grateful for the endless support and care you all have shown me. I love each & every one of y'all down.

xx

Síofra