Transition & Gender Affirming Care Fund
Donation protected
In the past two years of living in New York City I have battled depression, anxiety, self harm and on several occasions thoughts of suicide.
I’ve encountered homelessness on almost three different occasions while living here. I’ve had difficulty finding secure consistent employment from being fired from homophobic managers at a coffee shop I used to work at and losing my job at the Q last year before it closed down.
Moving into my late 20’s I’ve taken a look at the past 10 years and my biggest regret was not embracing my true self fully without fear.
I’ve spent the last couple of years shedding off of many layers of denial. I’ve cried so many times asking the universe why my brain was wired this way.
After getting over my past relationships, and taking 6 months of sobriety to work through my own traumas. Realizing that as product of the military industrial complex (army brat) I developed a survival technique to avoid being myself in order to assimilate to the constant different places, schools, and friends I wanted to have.
Everyone has told me my entire life I’m such a handsome boy including my parents and family and changing anything about myself I felt as a detriment to everyone else’s expectations and perceptions of myself then my own happiness.
I came out as gay in 2021 during Pride. And on March 31st 2023 it will be trans-visibility day.
A lot of ya’ll have followed my journey and I’m a extremely grateful for the help I’ve received along the way but this moment by far is where I humbly ask for your support and financial assistance.
I am a trans-woman.
I no longer identify as he/him or even non-binary and gender fluid and this acceptance will allow me to finally break through a lot of mental barriers that have kept me from moving forward in life.
More importantly it allows me to live in my truth. I’ve hosted and produced so many drag shows, shows that from the very beginning of my drag career always highlighted and put a spotlight on trans, non-binary and other alternative forms of drag and talent.
The current political climate, the rising amount of violence against trans people and suicide amount LGBTQ people has awoken a deeper purpose to why I’m here on this earth in this moment and as a leader and model to many young people I cannot inspire, motivate and lead if I cannot truly embrace my truth.
In the past month, I’ve consulted with doctors and have been on estrogen and t-blockers and also recently came out to co-workers and informed management that of my preferred pronouns she/her and that I identify as a woman.
Im humbly asking my community for some financial help and assistance.
I work at Starbucks and my insurance covers some but not all of my medications and medical expenses. I also need help with securing assistance to be able to help with buying some essentials for work so I can present the way I want to be seen without being mis-gendered. I’ve set a small goal to start and in the future will be taking steps toward facial feminization surgery and electrólisis/hair removal. This assistance also goes to helping me with a little bit of housing security as Starbucks has been slow with hours of recently and my drag shows have just started taking off.
I am starting school this next semester and finishing my degree in digital photography have been experiencing success in my first weekly in Hell’s Kitchen. In the next year I want to be more involved politically in my community and continue to create more platforms for trans talent. I have finally found my happiness and have never felt more comfortable in my own skin.
I would personally like to say thank you to my trans brothers and sisters for continually to accept and welcome me through this journey who have validated my thoughts and let me k now that I am not alone.
YASMEEN KENNEDY is my drag name and at first after contemplating taking Yasmeen as my name outside of drag I realized that they are separate. I still want to go by my government name as it is gender neutral “DEVIN”. Please continue to call me Yasmeen at my gigs or when I’m performing but for those who use “DEVIN” works as well.
I can’t believe that from today forward I have no fear with saying these words.
I am TRANS. I am PROUD. And I am worthy of not only life but of HAPPINESS.❤️
Please donate and if not share, most grateful and forever thankful. ✨️⚧️
I’ve encountered homelessness on almost three different occasions while living here. I’ve had difficulty finding secure consistent employment from being fired from homophobic managers at a coffee shop I used to work at and losing my job at the Q last year before it closed down.
Moving into my late 20’s I’ve taken a look at the past 10 years and my biggest regret was not embracing my true self fully without fear.
I’ve spent the last couple of years shedding off of many layers of denial. I’ve cried so many times asking the universe why my brain was wired this way.
After getting over my past relationships, and taking 6 months of sobriety to work through my own traumas. Realizing that as product of the military industrial complex (army brat) I developed a survival technique to avoid being myself in order to assimilate to the constant different places, schools, and friends I wanted to have.
Everyone has told me my entire life I’m such a handsome boy including my parents and family and changing anything about myself I felt as a detriment to everyone else’s expectations and perceptions of myself then my own happiness.
I came out as gay in 2021 during Pride. And on March 31st 2023 it will be trans-visibility day.
A lot of ya’ll have followed my journey and I’m a extremely grateful for the help I’ve received along the way but this moment by far is where I humbly ask for your support and financial assistance.
I am a trans-woman.
I no longer identify as he/him or even non-binary and gender fluid and this acceptance will allow me to finally break through a lot of mental barriers that have kept me from moving forward in life.
More importantly it allows me to live in my truth. I’ve hosted and produced so many drag shows, shows that from the very beginning of my drag career always highlighted and put a spotlight on trans, non-binary and other alternative forms of drag and talent.
The current political climate, the rising amount of violence against trans people and suicide amount LGBTQ people has awoken a deeper purpose to why I’m here on this earth in this moment and as a leader and model to many young people I cannot inspire, motivate and lead if I cannot truly embrace my truth.
In the past month, I’ve consulted with doctors and have been on estrogen and t-blockers and also recently came out to co-workers and informed management that of my preferred pronouns she/her and that I identify as a woman.
Im humbly asking my community for some financial help and assistance.
I work at Starbucks and my insurance covers some but not all of my medications and medical expenses. I also need help with securing assistance to be able to help with buying some essentials for work so I can present the way I want to be seen without being mis-gendered. I’ve set a small goal to start and in the future will be taking steps toward facial feminization surgery and electrólisis/hair removal. This assistance also goes to helping me with a little bit of housing security as Starbucks has been slow with hours of recently and my drag shows have just started taking off.
I am starting school this next semester and finishing my degree in digital photography have been experiencing success in my first weekly in Hell’s Kitchen. In the next year I want to be more involved politically in my community and continue to create more platforms for trans talent. I have finally found my happiness and have never felt more comfortable in my own skin.
I would personally like to say thank you to my trans brothers and sisters for continually to accept and welcome me through this journey who have validated my thoughts and let me k now that I am not alone.
YASMEEN KENNEDY is my drag name and at first after contemplating taking Yasmeen as my name outside of drag I realized that they are separate. I still want to go by my government name as it is gender neutral “DEVIN”. Please continue to call me Yasmeen at my gigs or when I’m performing but for those who use “DEVIN” works as well.
I can’t believe that from today forward I have no fear with saying these words.
I am TRANS. I am PROUD. And I am worthy of not only life but of HAPPINESS.❤️
Please donate and if not share, most grateful and forever thankful. ✨️⚧️
Organizer
Devin Taitano
Organizer
New York, NY