First off, I just want to communicate to you all how difficult it is for me to write this post. Many of my Facebook friends are friends and family but many of you are acquaintances and co-workers, in other words, individuals who I am not close with who I have not yet trusted with private information about my identity as an LGBTQ individual. I do not know how you will react to this but I hope that you will continue to respect me as a human being nonetheless. I am getting top surgery on August 27, 2013. Under better circumstances, I would wait to get the procedure until I have the full amount saved up on my own but I do not have the leisure of waiting any longer. Many male identified transgender individuals bind to lessen their gender dysphoria and pass as the gender they identify with. Tragically, because binding is so constricting, it often causes severe immediate and permanent damage such as chronic pain, muscle spasms, hernias, lung problems, and even skeletal damage to the back, ribs, and sternum. This combined with the specific exclusion of transgender procedures in healthcare makes it extremely difficult for trans* people to get the help they need. Personally, it has not been an easy road. I was kicked out shortly after turning 18 and have been supporting myself through work ever since. For awhile I was working two jobs but I have been unable to for quite some time due to the chronic back pain and muscle spasms I experience as a result of binding for over a year and a half. Although I have been binding as safely as possible, the physical damage is nearly unavoidable with prolonged chest binding. Simply discontinuing binding is not an option because it would mean potentially losing my job and facing unimaginable discrimination. I was very reluctant to ask others for help because I thought I would be able to do this on my own; however, my physical condition is only worsening. If I wait any longer to get surgery, I may not be able to continue working at all. With the persuasion of my wonderful roommates Josh Whitfield and Dasha Whitfield, I consented to Josh putting up a donation page for my surgery. No donation is too small and for those of you who cannot afford to give, which I very well understand, you can still help by sharing this post or the indiegogo link with your friends and family. I appreciate your compassion and generosity in helping me through this.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:42:12 +0000
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