Eve's Bottom Surgery Fund and Fight to Stay in Louisiana

My name is Eve. I also have been known by Rye. I'm a trans girl from Louisiana who doesn't want to leave her home. I have come to the realization that bottom surgery is medically necessary for me. There are no surgeons in Louisiana that provide this service, and the state government in the past few months has blocked Medicaid from covering all transition related surgeries. Without a fundraiser, I believe I would have to leave Louisiana and become another trans refugee.

I have dedicated my professional life to service to community. For the last seven years I have taught as an adjunct ELL instructor at a New Orleans community college. I also have spent the past two years becoming a massage therapist to make this important form of care more accesible and friendly to the queer and trans community in and around New Orleans. With the help of some friends, I started "QT Care House" a quarterly wellness event that provides no cost services to LGBTQ+ community members, with a focus on the QT.

I feel at home in New Orleans. I know and love a community I never thought I would find. However, the current political violence against the trans community in the deep south and the US at large leave me unable to access life saving care. It's fitting that Trans Day of Visibility is the day that I make this GoFundMe live. It's even more fitting that the next day is April Fools. Trans folk in the US are systematically made to play fool in order to access medical necessities.

I can't think of an ask that makes me feel more vulnerable or "seen." Turn on the TV, scroll social media... everyone has an opinion about trans women and our bodies. For years I've wrestled with the idea of making this GoFundMe public. Thank God I live in New Orleans, a city where satire reigns.

This past Mardi Gras, I was Medusa. A monster in need. I had a whole bit... "Hey, have you heard of this guy Zeus?! He's been a total d*ckwad. He's so cruel to me and for no reason!! Help a girl out. Donate on venmo @medusa_snipsnip to help a girl get her snakes removed. Maybe then Zeus won't hate me."

Without the power of satire, I don't know if I ever would have had the confidence to make this ask from community. On Mardi Gras Day I raised $666 dollars (wild right?!). Unfortunately, I do not know how much I will need. Bottom surgery can cost anywhere from $20k-$40k. Right now I've established my goal to be 30k. Beyond the cost of the surgery itself, even getting a consultation with a surgeon can cost hundreds of dollars... then there's electrolysis pre-surgery, flights, hotels, hospital fees, and several weeks of rehabilitation after the surgery where I will not be able to work.

I am thankful that you read all this way. I have more to say... about transphobia, the disparities that my black and brown trans siblings face, trans scape-goating, the trans wage-gap, and trans genocide... about the evils of private health insurance and the need for a system that recognizes healthcare as a human right... but I'll end with a message of hope: since coming out as a woman, as a trans woman, I have never felt more alive, cherished, vibrant, held, and loved. I believe trans community to be a radical form of magic. Facing the unceasing horrors, with little to no resources, we always find ways to uplift each other. If you're in the closet, and as scared as I was... am to pursue the life I want and need... know that there's abundance in this world and that those that hate us can never take away our love and the joy we have for one another.

Every bit you donate means the world to me. Your kindness makes me feel all gooey inside xoxo

- Eve