- M
My name is Devan Diaz, and I am a 27 year old Trans Latina living and working in New York City. The past two and a half years of my life were spent in the world of non-profit, assessing organizational capacity of NYC-based Transgender led agencies to identify opportunities for growth. This job gave me the chance to give back to my community, and achieve a sense of financial stability. As the only source of economic support for myself and my mother, this allowed us to live comfortably for a time.
This changed in February of this year, when I was laid off from this position. I was left without any savings, as my salary was just enough to cover the cost of living for two people. In March I had to undergo emergency dental surgery, resulting in several root canals and wisdom teeth removals. Left without insurance, and no money to cover these expenses, I found myself $2,000 in debt.
Despite the challenges I've been presented with, this year has also been marked with tremendous growth. My partner and I have moved in together, allowing me a sense of home and freedom for the first time in my life. I've begun taking my health seriously, losing 70 pounds since August of last year, by committing to a vegetarian diet and a daily yoga practice. This has taught me the importance of taking control of my body. While this has been a mostly positive experience, it has made other issues more glaring.
I began transitioning ten years ago, a time before many of the current social movements were in full swing. During this time, to be successfully trans was to be invisible, and I was (for the most part) fortunate in this regard. I had the ability to pass as a cis woman, but it was hard earned. Time (and money) went into hair, make up, padded bras, and clothing that gave me the appearance of being cisgender. Seeing my reflection without these things made me unrecognizable to myself, but I had no time to consider this. Working multiple jobs to be the sole bread winner, I told myself I'd wait for a better time to think about the deeper changes that needed to be made. That time is now.
With the help of Amidacare, a private community health plan for Medicaid members, I have been able to schedule a breast Augmentation for September 19, 2019. It is hard to believe that it is happening, as the cost of gender confirmation surgeries always made them feel out of reach. Now, it is a month and a half away, and I find myself in need of some assistance. I have not been able to find steady work, apart from freelance gigs, and the past six months of unemployment has been destabilizing. I feel very exposed doing this, but I'm doing it anyway, and asking my community for help.
For the sake of transparency (lol), here is what the total of $5,000 will cover:
Dental Surgery Debt: $2,000
Rent for the month while I recover: $1,500
Food, and other surgery related needs: $1,500
This breast augmentation will not fix my life. Once I've healed I will resume my job search, cope with the anxiety that comes along with that, and continue supporting myself and my mother financially. Instead, I believe this surgery will remove the daily experience of dysphoria from my life and free some space in my mind to be able to handle these things.
This changed in February of this year, when I was laid off from this position. I was left without any savings, as my salary was just enough to cover the cost of living for two people. In March I had to undergo emergency dental surgery, resulting in several root canals and wisdom teeth removals. Left without insurance, and no money to cover these expenses, I found myself $2,000 in debt.
Despite the challenges I've been presented with, this year has also been marked with tremendous growth. My partner and I have moved in together, allowing me a sense of home and freedom for the first time in my life. I've begun taking my health seriously, losing 70 pounds since August of last year, by committing to a vegetarian diet and a daily yoga practice. This has taught me the importance of taking control of my body. While this has been a mostly positive experience, it has made other issues more glaring.
I began transitioning ten years ago, a time before many of the current social movements were in full swing. During this time, to be successfully trans was to be invisible, and I was (for the most part) fortunate in this regard. I had the ability to pass as a cis woman, but it was hard earned. Time (and money) went into hair, make up, padded bras, and clothing that gave me the appearance of being cisgender. Seeing my reflection without these things made me unrecognizable to myself, but I had no time to consider this. Working multiple jobs to be the sole bread winner, I told myself I'd wait for a better time to think about the deeper changes that needed to be made. That time is now.
With the help of Amidacare, a private community health plan for Medicaid members, I have been able to schedule a breast Augmentation for September 19, 2019. It is hard to believe that it is happening, as the cost of gender confirmation surgeries always made them feel out of reach. Now, it is a month and a half away, and I find myself in need of some assistance. I have not been able to find steady work, apart from freelance gigs, and the past six months of unemployment has been destabilizing. I feel very exposed doing this, but I'm doing it anyway, and asking my community for help.
For the sake of transparency (lol), here is what the total of $5,000 will cover:
Dental Surgery Debt: $2,000
Rent for the month while I recover: $1,500
Food, and other surgery related needs: $1,500
This breast augmentation will not fix my life. Once I've healed I will resume my job search, cope with the anxiety that comes along with that, and continue supporting myself and my mother financially. Instead, I believe this surgery will remove the daily experience of dysphoria from my life and free some space in my mind to be able to handle these things.