p1nkstar's Transition Fund

Hi y’all! I am María Rivera, although most of you may know me as p1nky or p1nkstar. I am pop musician, DJ, promoter, multimedia artist, organizer, and transgender Mexican woman based in Austin, Texas. My practice focuses on collaborating with (& paying!) trans and queer artists to create empowering worlds for others to feel celebrated in. You can browse some of my work via social media @p1nkstar_, at p1nkstar.com , or through streaming services.

I am writing to you all because I am taking exciting steps in my medical transition and I am not sure how to move forward without help. Although I am very lucky to have wonderful communities, stable employment and insurance which all have made pursuing these decisions easier, as I move forward with my transition, I will be needing a lot of assistance to afford the gender-affirming procedures necessary for me to live comfortably in my skin and safely in our Southern communities.

I am raising funds for the following:

Surgery Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Although I am grateful to have insurance that covers medical expenses related to my transition, I am required to pay a deductible of $6000 before insurance begins covering. Raising money to cover namely the biggest expense in pursuing my gender-affirming procedures.

Aftercare Fund: After surgery, I will be out of commission from my job for 1-2 weeks and out-of-commission from performing for 4-6 weeks. Although I will be able to bounce back to work quickly, I will be missing out on gigs that help me make ends meet for things like bills, rent, foods, rides and prescriptions and I want to be prepared for any unexpected costs that emerge from follow-up care after my surgeries.

If any, additional funds will be directed towards therapy support and mental health care before and after surgery or towards ongoing costs of medical transition e.g. hormone replacement therapy, doctor visits, permanent hair removal, etc.

Thank you all! <3

And if you would prefer:

Venmo: @p1nkstar

Cashapp: $p1nkstar

Paypal: [email redacted]