Hello Friends,

Though, in truth, most of you are more Family than Friend.

My name is Erin and my best friend of 20 years is William. William is a trans man living in Tallahassee, FL since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina forced his family to flee their home in New Orleans, like so many others. William was only 17 at the time and in high school; his parents decided to make a new start and stay in Florida. Though his heart and chosen family have remained in New Orleans, he has not been able to ever make the move back.

That was 19 years ago and a lot has happened, but the biggest change for William came through the discovery of his true self.

I mentioned William is a trans man and he has been on his journey to be his authentic and whole self for more than 15 years. Access to gender-affirming care is sparse and difficult to acquire, especially here in the deep southern U.S. not to mention the cost being tens of thousands of dollars in a country with a broken healthcare system and little to no aid for trans people and life-saving gender affirming care.

William has been taking testosterone for these 15 years but has not been able to afford or access the next steps in his transition. Long-term use of testosterone without a hysterectomy procedure greatly increases William's risk for ovarian and uterine cancer. He has been experiencing concerning symptoms such as severe abdominal pain for years now, so this procedure is sorely needed.

In light of the recent result of the 2024 presidential election, a lot of people are scared and making plans to flee to safer areas and/or scrambling to get the care they need before their existence is at worst banned, at best threatened to a higher degree than before.

We ask that you share this fundraiser far and wide and please consider donating so that William can get the care he needs before it's too late. Your donations will go directly to:

In these dark times, it can seem difficult to find the light, but I find the opposite to be true. The communities of LGBTQ+ and all marginalized people know better than most that the light comes from us. We shine and lean on each other as we always have. We find our fiercest strength through the care we provide to those around us.

If William's story has resonated with you, please share this fundraiser and please consider donating. Just $5 can make meaningful change in William's life.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for sharing your time with us and reading William's story.

With your help and the help of yours and our communities, every bit helps to get us closer to our goal and William closer to being safe, healthy, and whole.