Jimmy  Darts

SB Mowing

Pattie Gonia

Little Miss Flint

Kalina Silverman / @makebigtalk on Instagram

The Dogist

Samuel Weidenhofer

Patriotic Kenny Foundation

Peter Bond

That Good News Girl

Ben Saunders - Flawless Cleaning

Flavor Flav

Ask Uncle Jack

Amy Jandrisevits

FowlMouthFarmer

Tess Bohne

Latonja and Taylor Richardson

Officer Richard Craig

John Wolfe

Khloe

<div><strong> Help Cie Recover: Emergency Surgery After Devastating E-Bike Accident</strong>
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<div>My name is Cie (they/them). I am a Black trans artist, a digital illustrator, muralist and a cultural Worker based in Atlanta. I am writing this in a lot of pain and vulnerability.
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<div>On <strong>June 23, 2026</strong>, I was in a horrific bike accident that resulted in severe damages to my face and arm. My facial injuries include <strong>severe damage to my teeth and jaw</strong>, so this is emergency oral care as much as it is reconstructive surgery. I am struggling to move, and speaking is excruciating. As an artist and community organizer, my voice and my hands are the tools I use to survive.
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<div>I don't have dental insurance.
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<div><strong>I need emergency surgery to reconstruct my face and repair the damage to my mouth and jaw</strong>. Without it, the pain will only get worse, and I risk permanent damage. The financial weight of this is crushing. I am barely scraping by to pay rent as it is, and now I am facing a mountain of medical and dental bills I simply cannot afford.
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<div><strong>I NEED EMERGENCY FUNDS! </strong>Funds requested will cover the oral surgery itself, the post-operative care, rent and food for the next two months while I am unable to work.
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<div><strong>Ways to Support Me:</strong>
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<li><strong>Hire me:</strong> If you need creative work, I am limited to digital Illustrations and graphic design. Booking me for a gig or a commission helps me earn income directly.
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<li><strong>Direct Donations:</strong> If you can spare anything to ease this burden, please send funds to:
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<li><strong>Cash App:</strong> <a href="https://gofund.me/2d9d138c2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$vintagevoodoo</a>
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<li><strong>Venmo:</strong> @<button data-competitor="competitor-link" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">the-color</button>
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<div>Every share, every dollar, and every prayer means the world to me right now. Thank you for seeing me and helping me through this.
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Support Emergency Surgery for Cie!

<div>Hello, 

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<div>I am a trans man who has recently been disowned due to coming out to my parents as trans. I am in need of mutual aid to help me pay for gender affirming care, as well as a month of my rent. I have very limited savings due to the sudden cutoff of financial support as a full time college student. Despite having a par time job, it is not enough money for me to financially support myself without any help.

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<div>any and all donations are very appreciated! Thanks for reading.

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Aid for Trans Student Facing Financial Hardship

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<div>After several years wait, our friend Katie is readying to undergo their top surgery on December 10th!
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<div>There are many joys and obstacles to this kind of gender-affirming care, and for Katie, patience has been key. Katie’s primary health insurance is through the VA, which excludes gender-affirming procedures like top surgery. However, Katie recently became covered under their partner, Sarah’s, insurance plan, so after years of waiting, they now have access to the care they need.
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<div>Katie’s journey to embrace themselves and feel AT HOME in their body has been slow and difficult. But not for lack of trying. At long last, they’ve been able to schedule their procedure: one major hurdle cleared.
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<div>Katie looks forward to a day when they are in less physical and emotional pain. To know embodied J O Y in every sense; A freedom many of us take for granted. On the other side of surgery, Katie awaits enjoyment of movement, a newfound confidence, and a lasting ability to practice presence in their body whether alone or with friends and loved ones.
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<div>And those friends and loved ones are such an integral piece of Katie’s full recovery. Mutual aid is when we choose to take care of one another using the resources we have access to. For you, that might mean making a donation. For another, that might mean using their social media to share this mutual aid request with their wider circle. BOTH of these actions are ways in which we offer Katie unconditional support. This is about being in solidarity with each other—putting into practice a network of caring.
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<div>It’s the collective contributions of many that make this procedure financially accessible to Katie and their family which includes Sarah and their two sweet pupperonis, Marty &amp; Olson. In fact, Katie and our community showed up in a BIG way for Sarah just this spring when they were fortunate enough to undergo their top surgery.
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<div>Now, it’s Katie’s turn. Please donate today
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<div>Like many of us alive today, Katie is staring down a significant amount of costs not fulfilled by health insurance. These costs, itemized below, represent a $8,600 financial hardship that Katie must manage on their own as a self employed social worker:
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<div>$2,560 - out-of-pocket maximum/annual deductible
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<div>$800 - 4 days unpaid time off for Sarah, Katie’s partner
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<div>$5,850 - 4 weeks unpaid time off for Katie
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<div>$200 - misc. supplies not covered by insurance
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<div>THANK YOU for taking the time to read Katie’s story. A donation of any amount gets Katie one step closer to a full and healthy recovery!
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<div>Please share this GFM with your community. We do this together!
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<div>With love &amp; deep gratitude,
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<div>Chelsea (Sarah, &amp; Katie)
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Support Katie’s Journey to Gender Affirming Care

<div>it's time for this gay goat-wrangling guy to get the big ol' chop! after a whole lot of waiting and planning, i'm just a few short months out from top surgery. while i'm really, really dang lucky to have health insurance covering most of the cost, this is still a big financial burden for a little goatherd and grad student like me, especially with the time i'll need to take away from the work i love so much. 

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<div>i am endlessly grateful to be surrounded by so many people (especially my queer farming loved ones) who care so much for me and for each other. mutual care and support and flourishing are what this life is all about! it's so frustrating the way that life-changing and -saving medical care like this is inaccessible to so many, and i'm dreaming of and working toward a world where access to gender-affirming care and resources are abundant for all my trans siblings. 

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<div>as always, every form of support is a gift. if you're able to contribute financially, a big huge thank you and hug to you! and if you can't contribute financially right now, but want to send a sweet note or bring a meal or keep me company during my six weeks of restlessness or kiss a goat for me, a big huge thank you and hug to you, too!

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<div>with so much love and appreciation,

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<div>tig

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tig's top surgery fund

<div><strong>Announcing Phase 2 of Operation Olive Branch’s Direct Aid Initiative: </strong>
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<div>Because of your <strong><em>overwhelming</em></strong> support of our pilot program, the OOB Perinatal Project, we are <strong>expanding</strong> (see original GFM description below).
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<div>In collaboration with our partners and heroes Pal Humanity, we are launching a pilot <strong>Family Encampment</strong> which will accommodate approx 300 individuals (30 families) in Phase 1. The camp will provide shelter, food, water, medical services, WiFi, electricity and other necessities.
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<div>Phase 1 is Perinatal focused as it was the surplus of funding from the Perinatal Project fundraiser that launched it. However, Phase 2 will target families with disabilities and urgent medical needs as we have doctors living on site.
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<div>OOB has utilized 117K of your support to build the camp and we estimate monthly maintenance could be as high as $100 per person, which is $1000 per tent or $30K a month total.
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<div>OOB Camps meet international standards for sanitation (eg: 1 bathroom per 20 people) and operate on an Indigenously guided foundation of “safe, simple and sustainable”. Therefore our engineers constructed pit latrines instead of cess pits (common in the area) which are banned in many countries for contaminating ground water and spreading disease. To maintain cultural and religious dignity, the latrines have bidets that store in blackwater tanks to allow for cleansing with water with the least maintenance possible.
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<div>ALL OOB Camps begin with building a well, dispersing it amongst camp and providing access to the public because #WaterIsLife
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<div>With your <strong>continued support</strong>, we hope to expand this camp to 1000 individuals (100 tents) as quickly as possible and we hope this location will be the first of many.
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<div>Please follow us and PAL Humanity on social media for regular updates.
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<div>Please note that the below description for the Perinatal Project is still valid and we work with the same partners.
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<div><strong><em>Operation Olive Branch</em></strong> is a volunteer-powered grassroots collective effort to connect with and amplify Palestinian voices in an effort to support their critical needs, which include but are not limited to their mutual aid requests. Our solidarity initiative is steered by a diverse core council of global advocates including Palestinian and Jewish voices.
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<div>We strive to verify the fundraising efforts of families, as well as our medical partners, to best support them to navigate the challenges of social media and fundraising.
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<div>Please find a list of our “<strong>verified</strong>” families and medical aid partners here: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/opolivebranch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Verified Families &amp; Mutual Aid</a>
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<div>We quickly identified over a hundred families who required urgent perinatal care and support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Faced with malnutrition, lack of food, clean water and limited access to medical support, families are experiencing severe perinatal medical complications.
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<div>As a result, <strong><em>The Perinatal Project</em></strong> was created in partnership with <strong><em>Operation Olive Branch</em></strong> to connect families in Gaza to essential perinatal care.
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<div>The project relies on community partners to carry out these essential needs on a regular basis. These established organizations and individuals provide direct service to the families on the ground by delivering aid, facilitating access to medical support, language translation, and sourcing supplies in a constantly changing environment.
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<div>The <strong><em>OOB Perinatal Project</em></strong> has set up a fundraiser to deliver direct monetary support to the project’s partners. Whilst these organizations and individuals may have their own fundraising projects set up, they do not always see compensation or receive enough funds to meet the needs of the families on the ground. It is vital we ensure the Project’s partners have adequate funds to continue their work.
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<div>In order to provide ongoing transparency regarding monetary allocations, OOB will provide regular updates on this campaign.
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<div>Please find information on our community partners below:
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<div><strong>PAL Humanity</strong> is an initiative led by two female Doctors who provide field visits, distribute aid (primarily diapers, menstrual/hygiene kits and formula) and are launching a Medical Tent in southern Gaza.
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<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pal.humanity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pal Humanity Instagram</a>
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<div><strong>Amani Alkahlout</strong>, a well-known cook and food blogger, continues to orchestrate cooking for hundreds of families in Rafah. She also delivers supplies such as diapers, wipes, blankets and food to individual families.
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<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amani.alkahlout/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amani Alkahlout Instagram</a>
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<div>This will be a continuous crowdfund for as long as our community partners need. Should <strong><em>The Perinatal Project</em></strong> have a change or addition to community partnerships, <strong><em>Operation Olive Branch </em></strong>will include those updates on this campaign.
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<div>Lastly, please continue to <strong>directly support </strong>aid<strong> </strong>groups and individuals on the ground, as their funds help serve the broader community as well.
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Operation Olive Branch

Hi y’all! I’m raising money to continue my transition, start laser hair removal , and hopefully have FFS in 2023! This surgery will be life changing and life saving for me!! I thought it would be easier for some people to donate here rather than through my personal payment links and it helps me keep track of donations better.  I am beyond grateful for everyone who’s shown me love so far and I am hopeful that I’ll be able to achieve my goal with y’all’s generosity It means a lot that you all always show up for me when I need it in more ways than one! <br /><br />You can also donate via my cashapp : $Lrdr1

Lauryn’s Transition Expenses

<div>Chase (they/them) is a 23 year old, Black, disabled, non-binary trans person living in Portland, OR currently experiencing an <strong>immediate housing crisis.</strong> 
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<div>After moving to Portland at the end of 2022, they experienced a series of mental &amp; physical health issues that resulted in them spending the majority of 2024 in mental health treatment in California. 
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<div>Upon completing treatment at the beginning of the summer, they returned to Portland with the promise of having a place to stay short term while they waited for their long term housing situation to become available. However, when that "long term" housing situation became available, it became apparent that Chase was not going to be able to stay there. The housemates asked them to move out immediately due to a series of extreme excuses that ultimately were just that: excuses. The blatant discrimination &amp; inflexibility that the housemates demonstrated is ultimately what led Chase to being displaced after taking their rent money-- the last of what Chase had left to their name. 
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<div>Since then, Chase has been bouncing from place to place, staying with friends where they can, but even this support has been <em>very </em>minimal. The instability &amp; 24/7 hyper-vigilance, wondering where they will go next has 100% been the contributing factor in an inevitable flare up in their chronic illness as well, which has meant taking time off from work. Being unable to work means they are <em>really</em> down to their last cents, and any money remaining has been going to trying to remain fed. 
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<div>Additionally, all of these things combined have taken a huge toll on their mental stability, especially being so fresh out of treatment &amp; currently unmedicated due to lack of health care. 
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<div>This GoFundMe is being created in the hopes that our community will show up for a community member who is out of options. Funds donated will go towards making sure Chase is fed &amp; has a safe place to lay their head at night. This is absolutely emergent &amp; necessary in order to help them get by right now until they can actually receive help from the resources &amp; organizations they've been connecting with for a more permanent housing solution. They need to be able to regulate their nervous system amidst these crises in order to level out mentally, but also to reduce their physical chronic illness symptoms as well, which would allow them to go back to work. 
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<div>Nobody should have to go through any one of the things that Chase has been through. To get to the other side of this, they need support from our community. They've experienced some kind of housing insecurity going on 5 years now, and it's time that Chase catches a damn break. If you know Chase, you love Chase. Any &amp; all donations made go such a long way; no donation is too small. <em>This is about saving someone's life.</em> 
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<div>Donate &amp; share their story. <strong>Let's take care of Chase.</strong> I promised them they're going to make it out of this alive, and I intend to keep my promise. 
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<div><strong>Donations can also be made @chaseallxn on Venmo, as well as paypal.me/chxseallen. </strong>
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<div>&lt;3
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Urgent Help for a Black Trans Person in Crisis

<div>Hi, my name is Graycen, and I am a Non-Binary POC. <strong>I recently received the amazing news that I have been approved to receive gender affirming top surgery.</strong> While this has been a long-awaited step in my journey, it has come at a time in which I am in need of help to prepare myself for the surgery, and sustain myself after during my recovery period.
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<div>I currently do not have a permanent residence, prior to the news I decided to have an adventure and live nomadically. As happenstance would have it, I now have to pivot back to having a set residence. However, I do not have the funds to do that, while simultaneously building the funds/resources I will need post-op during my healing phase. I will be out of work for a little over a month to recover. I have preexisting health conditions that will require me to take my recovery slow, and while I have decided on temporary skilled nursing care during the first week of my recovery, I will still need extra time to be gentle with my body. Between living expenses and the actual medical costs, <strong>I really need help in getting everything in order financially.</strong> I would be most appreciative for help and assistance in achieving this goal. Any bit of help is welcomed with gratitude.
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Aid Graycen's Journey to Healing and Home

<p>My name is Melissa (She/They). I have been doing this trans thing for just over a decade and, while I have been fortunate in making it this far, I need help affording some life changing surgeries that will alter my relationship with my own body.
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<p>This is not about how other people see me - it is about how I see myself. There are many out there that see gender affirming surgery are merely "cosmetic," and do not understand the efficacy and importance of such procedures. For anyone balking at supporting me, as a trans woman, I encourage you to read my story before making a snap judgement.
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</p><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/57042647_1621678369449827_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<p><em>Me: pre-Covid to the present Covid. I know you feel this.</em>
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<p>I am a 34 year old US citizen, born in California and growing up primarily in the Sierra foothills. Friends and loved ones know me as a silly, ofttimes grumpy nerd who tries my best to be there for the people I care about. My mind is constantly on the move, and I have opinions on almost everything I see. Sometimes I have opinions about video games, sometimes I have them about political theory. The challenge is not simply blurting out whatever is on my mind. My favorite thing about myself is how much I care about other people, even if I am not always the best at expressing it. It makes it difficult to turn myself away from others, even when I need time to recharge, but it has been my guiding star my entire life.
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<p><strong>My Life's Story, in Brief</strong>
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<p>While my transition may have physically begun at 24, I have known I wanted to be a woman ever since I had a concept of gender. I used to dream about it often, and remember praying for it night after night in my more religious days. When I was 8 years old, I asked my mom what she and my dad would have named if I was a girl. I only needed to ask once - it stuck with me ever since, and I claimed it as my own. In part, it was to honor my parents even if they ultimately rejected me.
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<p>Childhood was a struggle to get through. I was a weird, ultra closeted kid, and the bullies at school could smell that blood in the water even if none of us could identify its source. At home, I dealt with constant, mostly low impact physical and emotional abuse. This abuse kept me constantly on guard, and years of it eventually manifested into CPTSD. As soon as 11 years old I had to live with depression, and my first major panic attack hit me at 18. This was on top of autism and ADHD - which remained undiagnosed and mostly untreated until last year. These challenges have created great obstacles throughout my professional and educational history.
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<p>My early 20s were a struggle - my depression was severe enough to leave me bedridden at its peaks. Despite that, I made it to 24 - which is where my life took on a new course. I realized I could simply be a woman, and started going to therapy. Turns out, I did not need a therapist's help to figure out my gender, but I did need it to learn how to feel emotions again. Access to medication made those depression peaks more manageable, and thanks to this combined treatment I managed to push myself into university. Once there, I lost access to one of my medications and barely managed to earn my history degree at UC Santa Cruz before finally burning out of pure stress at 28.
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<p>I don't think my favorite professor ever knew how hard it was for me to make it to class, but when I could make it I tried my best to be the best student I could.
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<p>If there is one skill I mastered in life, it is choosing my friends well. I would have been homeless, possibly even dead, if it was not for the intervention of some excellent friends and loved ones. It's not something I like to think about too hard. This gave me the time and space I needed to continue my therapy, and regain some control over my life.
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<p>In the six years since university, I met the love of my life and moved to Kentucky to live with her. I also managed to get some long delayed healthcare, and just last year I was able to get my official diagnosis for autism and ADHD. This has allowed me to regain access to important medication, and I have pursued self-improvement with renewed vigor.
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</p><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/57042647_1621723324598037_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<p><em>Carrie and Chrissy - both Humane Society adoptions. Bet you can't tell which one takes after me. :)</em>
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<p><strong>The Dream</strong>
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<p>Now I have the capacity to face one of my biggest enemies: dysphoria. There are some things that technology can not change about me, I accept that. I will always wonder how differently I would see myself if I didn't go through puberty as a "boy."
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<p>This does not mean I should give up. There are existing procedures that can still offer me relief - if I was uncertain of my need, I would not be here asking for them.
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<p><strong><em>Facial Feminization Surgery</em></strong>
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<p>The first and most important of these surgeries I need is <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/facial-feminization-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facial Feminization Surgery</a> , or FFS. Sometimes I look in the mirror and can accept what I look like. Other times, it's like a gunshot to my will to live. Some people like my face a whole lot. My partner does, as do a few of my friends. People reading this might like my face, too. That's great! However, <em>I don't like my face, as it is the greatest trigger of my dysphoria.</em>
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<p>A rough estimate for FFS is between 20k-50k USD.
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<p><strong><em>Breast Augmentation</em></strong>
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<p>While HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) has been relatively kind to me, I also have a broad chest that largely hides my breasts by spreading them out over a larger area. This has more mild dysphoric symptoms, but changing this is as much a need as FFS - I am only prioritizing out of duress. This should not be something I have to choose between.
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<p>Breast augmentation goes roughly between 5k-10k USD.
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<p>I would like to look in the mirror without a wave of intense self-loathing. I would love to celebrate other trans folk getting similar procedures without feeling my heart turn to ice.
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<p>Most importantly? I want to see myself in the mirror... in a picture... and feel happiness. This does not make me special, I think everyone deserves that feeling.
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<p><strong>The Plan</strong>
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<p>The prices I've cited on these procedures are close to GoFundMe's estimates via their blog post on <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/gender-confirmation-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gender Confirmation Surgery</a> . The post is aimed at people in my position, but I would encourage anyone who is still unconvinced of my plea to give it a read. If you will not believe me, then believe someone else.
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<p>My next step is researching local surgeons. I know there are a couple places nearby that offer what I need, but I still want to ask around and see what their other patients say about their services. If this fundraising shows enough promise, I will schedule a consultation and will be able to more accurately state how much money I need.
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<p>I have people who can provide transportation to and from the hospital, and provide care for me at home while I recover. This also isn't my first major surgery - I have a pretty good idea what to expect.
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<p>If things REALLY take off, I am going to cut off donations at 70k. That will be more than sufficient to cover additional hospital fees, home care, transportation, and definitely some new bras. :)
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</p><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/57042647_162146229764695_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<p><em>(Furi and Nux. I need you to understand how hard it is to capture a non-blurry photo of a ferret.)</em>
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<p><strong>Trans Realities</strong>
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<p>My story is my own. The trans experience is not legion; not all of us experience dysphoria or require surgery to feel "right." Some us knew for a long time who we wanted to be, others simply realized that they'd be happier as a different gender at some point. Regardless of how we reach our conclusions, all of us deserve whatever help we say we need to achieve <a href="https://genderdysphoria.fyi/gdb/euphoria" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gender euphoria</a>. There is <a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19010080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plenty</a> of <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/gender-affirming-surgery-linked-better-mental-health-study-finds-n1266033" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medical</a> and <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/study-finds-long-term-mental-health-benefits-of-gender-affirming-surgery-for-transgender-individuals" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychiatric</a> <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/mental-health-benefits-associated-with-gender-affirming-surgery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">support</a> for gender affirming surgery. For those of us who need it, surgeries can provide immense psychological relief and a gigantic increase to our quality of life.
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<p><strong>Finding Comfort</strong>
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<p>In the meantime, I have my methods of coping. Embodying characters in video games and TTRPGs have proven to be the most effective for me. Finding sanctuary in "theater" is a well-known queer narrative for a reason. Such distractions do not solve dysphoria, but it does help ease the burden. These hobbies have introduced me to many wonderful people over the years, and my closest friend groups involve people I have befriended through these hobbies.
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<p>I am not alone, not metaphorically or physically. If my friends could pay for these procedures themselves, they would. And they know that I would do the same.
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<p><em> A fair number of friends first knew me as Kekena on FFXIV. She's both an OC, and another "face" of mine. Finding comfort in embodying a video game character is not a rare thing among trans folk.</em>
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<p><strong>Why I Need Financial Support</strong>
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<p>I am not exaggerating when I say my body causes me intense psychological distress. Nothing drives me harder towards suicidal ideation - and I do not know if I can go on another 10 years this way. The prospect of living this way for a single year is enough to clench my jaw.
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<p>No matter how much I scrimp and save, between my light self-employment and monthly gifts from my partner it would take me close to fifteen years to do this on my own - assuming I saved every single penny, spending nothing. This situation is unlikely to change as my disabilities make holding a standard job next to impossible. My streams have been running an average of 3-6 viewers for about 2 years running, and making a living on twitch is extremely unlikely as a rule. Freelancing as an artist or writer is similarly unreliable, and requires me to continue building skills that simply take time to learn.
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<p>As an American well below the poverty line, I rely on Medicaid to cover my medical expenses. While my provider, Humana Healthy Horizons, does not specifically exclude trans related care they also do not cover what they deem to be "cosmetic surgeries." Flying in the face of recent medical and psychological research, they consider FFS and breast augmentation to be merely cosmetic and unnecessary for a trans person - a position shared by every American insurance provider that can get away with it.
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<p>The other problem is that I can not safely drum up support for this fundraiser through my twitch channel, as the IRS will likely classify donations as a working income - and they heavily tax self-employment. This also spikes my Medicaid, and exposes me to student loan repayments that I have only avoided out of poverty. All I can do is spread this plea around, and give you updates as they are warranted.
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<p><strong>How to Help</strong>
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<p>More than anything, I need financial aid. This is $50k USD I am asking for, which is a tremendous amount of money to me - even a tenth of that is difficult to imagine on my bank statement. I also need people to spread this around as much as they can.
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<p>Share this on social media, repeatedly. Aim at anyone with disposable income who wants to help make a significant, tangible improvement in a stranger's life. Should folk be interested in doing a charity drive on my behalf, I would be happy to make an appearance. - but I can not promise more due the aforementioned reasons.
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<p><em>For anyone with a tight budget, I would ask that the needs of you and yours take priority over mine. My safety and happiness should not come at such a steep cost to someone else. Remember - getting the word out is a big deal. The more that hear about my plight, the more likely it is that I will reach my goals.</em>
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<p>Please, help me change my life for the better if you can.
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<p><em>If you have any questions, or have additional ways to help, you can contact me via this site. </em>
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<p><em>Thank you!</em>
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<p><em>-Melissa</em>
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Melissa's Big Trans Surgery Fund

<div><strong>I HAVE FINALLY BEEN APPROVED FOR TOP SURGERY… and I might have the highest BMI that top surgery has ever seen??</strong>
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<div>Hello lovely mutual aid minded humans in the virtual stratosphere! My name is Jay. I'm a super-fat (on the higher end of the fat spectrum), nonbinary, transmasculine person living with my partner and fur babies in rural Kansas. I work at a university for my 8-5 job and Comfy Fat has been my passion project. I've spent 32 years attempting to radically accept my gigantic chest    because I thought top surgery would never be a possibility for me. But now IT IS.
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<div>BMI limits are used to gate-keep access to surgery for fat people. Surgeons don't want to operate on fat bodies unless it's what they consider a "life-saving procedure." Unfortunately, the overwhelming consensus on gender affirming surgeries is that they are not considered life-saving. But I’ve found a doctor who is changing the narrative, and I need your help getting to my surgery date!
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<div>Let me tell you about the Surgeon… 
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<div>While keeping my eyes and ears tapped into virtual transmasculine communities, I heard through these networks about a surgeon who doesn't use BMI in determining surgery approvals. I spoke directly to a friend of similar size who reported having a great experience with this surgeon and I inquired with the surgeon immediately.
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<div>To my greatest surprise, I heard back from Dr. Mosser at the Gender Confirmation Center in San Francisco. After looking at my health stats and situation, including reference photos, he's willing to do my surgery! Not only that, but he seems confident that my BMI is not an added risk, given that I check other more vital health related boxes. On top of that, my health insurance approved the surgery. I'm absolutely over the moon. And stunned. THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING.
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<div>Here’s where I need your help… 
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<div>There are still coinsurance, surgeon, and facility fees associated with top surgery, even after health insurance approval. And because I have to travel out of state and stay in the Bay Area for upwards of two weeks to attend a post-op appointment, the cost of lodging is going to be quite high. I've included a breakdown of expected costs below:
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<div><strong>Coinsurance to GCC fee: $3000</strong>
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<div><strong>Medical center fee: $3000</strong>
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<div><strong>Anesthesiologist: $900</strong>
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<div><strong>Airbnb/lodging: $2500</strong>
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<div>My partner and I have saved enough to cover our airfare, meals, and car rental (approximately $3000), but we need help getting the rest of the way there! 
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<div>I am already forever grateful to the communities that have shown up for me over the years. The fat community, the queer community, folks who understand how much cancer freaking sucks, my academic peers, my western Mass babes and of course my midwestern family. I could not have the strength to be this vulnerable without your support and words of affirmation.
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<div>Post surgery I imagine myself stepping into the light with much more ease. I see myself dancing and jumping in on photos without hypervigilance of my chest. I imagine finally harnessing my main character energy, and using that confidence to continue to advocate for queers and people of size in my little corners of the world. And most importantly, I’m excited to be free of these enormous hangler danglers and feel the most me I possibly can in my own skin.
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<div><strong>Thank you for donating and sharing this post and my story &lt;3</strong>
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Bailey Sell

Bailey Sell

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