Support Zoey's Journey to Authenticity

Lately, it feels even harder to be transgender. Every time I see the news, it’s another law being proposed, another debate about people like me—whether we belong, whether we’re safe, whether we even have the right to be ourselves. It’s painful to watch my identity turned into a political battlefield, when all I want is to live my life in peace.

I think about surgery often—not because I hate who I am, but because I want to feel safer in this world. I want people to see me the way I see myself. I want to walk through life without constantly feeling like I have to explain or defend my existence. Surgery, to me, is not just about appearance. It’s about alignment. It’s about finally feeling like my outside matches my truth—and maybe, just maybe, being seen for who I am will make me less of a target and more of a person in others’ eyes.

There’s a kind of sadness that’s hard to put into words—the ache of being seen as “different” no matter how true you are to yourself. I don’t want to be brave every day just to exist. I want to feel at home in my body, safe in public, and loved without question. And more than anything, I want the world to stop treating me like a problem, and start seeing me as a whole human being.

"Any support you are able to provide is deeply appreciated. Thank you for your kindness and compassion." -Zoey

Surgery date June 17, 2025