Top Surgery : Trans Palestinian forced out of home
Donation protected
Mutual Aid Request : Gender Affirming Surgery for Palestinian trans-man forced out of home & dealing with transphobic health care in Ohio.
Anwaar is a 22 year old naturalized U.S. citizen from Palestine, who moved to the U.S. in 2007. Anwaar grew up in a Muslim household in Ohio, where he dealt with depression & dysphoria for the majority of his life. In January 2020, Anwaar was forced to leave his home due to tensions regarding his gender, and his family severed ties with him completely. Anwaar works part time taking care of elders as a health home care provider, but is struggling to make ends meet each month. After 6 years of binding, Anwaar suffers from constant breathing issues, bruised ribs, and mild asthma.
Pre-Covid Anwaar was admitted to the ER for a panic attack, where a nurse demanded Anwaar to change into a gown in front of her. When Anwaar repeatedly asked for privacy to change, the nurse denied his request and called the police-force to escort him out of the hospital.
During Covid Anwaar lost his job and wasn’t receiving unemployment, which led him to admit himself to a psych ward in order to receive housing and food. He spent 27 hours locked in an ER room, and since he didn’t have insurance at the time, he was transferred to a State Mental Hospital where he spent 15 days locked inside, and was only let out into a small courtyard where he was only allowed to walk in a circle. He was drugged 3 times a day and was forced to watch TV with no therapy sessions and almost inedible food.
His health providers in Ohio are consistently transphobic towards him, and he struggles to get the proper prescriptions and tools needed for his Hormone Replacement Treatment. Pharmacists (more often than not) provide him unnecessarily large needles, and provide the wrong amount of hormones for each month.
He has found a surgeon (Dr. Daniel Medalie), and has received an estimate of $8,000 for the top surgery. He will also be applying to Gender Bands grants for top surgery, but the grants he is eligible for do not specify the amount that will be given if they choose him as a recipient. If he is chosen for a grant, any additional funds will be used for his aftercare. Anwaar has been dreaming of this surgery and the relief that it will bring to his physical and mental health.
Please donate to help a trans Palestinian in need !
Anwaar is a 22 year old naturalized U.S. citizen from Palestine, who moved to the U.S. in 2007. Anwaar grew up in a Muslim household in Ohio, where he dealt with depression & dysphoria for the majority of his life. In January 2020, Anwaar was forced to leave his home due to tensions regarding his gender, and his family severed ties with him completely. Anwaar works part time taking care of elders as a health home care provider, but is struggling to make ends meet each month. After 6 years of binding, Anwaar suffers from constant breathing issues, bruised ribs, and mild asthma.
Pre-Covid Anwaar was admitted to the ER for a panic attack, where a nurse demanded Anwaar to change into a gown in front of her. When Anwaar repeatedly asked for privacy to change, the nurse denied his request and called the police-force to escort him out of the hospital.
During Covid Anwaar lost his job and wasn’t receiving unemployment, which led him to admit himself to a psych ward in order to receive housing and food. He spent 27 hours locked in an ER room, and since he didn’t have insurance at the time, he was transferred to a State Mental Hospital where he spent 15 days locked inside, and was only let out into a small courtyard where he was only allowed to walk in a circle. He was drugged 3 times a day and was forced to watch TV with no therapy sessions and almost inedible food.
His health providers in Ohio are consistently transphobic towards him, and he struggles to get the proper prescriptions and tools needed for his Hormone Replacement Treatment. Pharmacists (more often than not) provide him unnecessarily large needles, and provide the wrong amount of hormones for each month.
He has found a surgeon (Dr. Daniel Medalie), and has received an estimate of $8,000 for the top surgery. He will also be applying to Gender Bands grants for top surgery, but the grants he is eligible for do not specify the amount that will be given if they choose him as a recipient. If he is chosen for a grant, any additional funds will be used for his aftercare. Anwaar has been dreaming of this surgery and the relief that it will bring to his physical and mental health.
Please donate to help a trans Palestinian in need !
Organizer and beneficiary
Shivani Desai
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Anwaar Awad
Beneficiary
