Help Alma Afford Gender Affirming Surgery

*UPDATE* After my appeal for coverage was rejected, the surgeon I had my consultation with gave me an updated out-of-pocket estimate of $50,000, plus fees. I've updated the goal to match this number.

My name is Alma Avalle and I’m a writer and union organizer living in New York City. I’m one of the organizers who led the Condé Nast Union in our successful fight for recognition and our first contract. I’m starting this GoFundMe because I need help paying for gender affirming care: namely, Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS). I anticipate needing to pay upwards of $20,000 for the surgery itself, so I am asking for $25,000 — an amount that would go towards the medical procedure as well as my aftercare, affording food and other necessities while out of work, etcetera.

I began looking into FFS two years ago. As soon as I began reaching out to medical providers to arrange consultations — over a year prior to the Conde Union successfully winning our contract (more on that later) — I quickly learned my health insurance from my employer would not cover the surgery at all. Estimates for the procedure were way out of reach. While Condé Nast’s insurance does cover some gender affirming surgeries, it excludes FFS as a “cosmetic” procedure, despite the fact that WPATH and other medical authorities recognize FFS as medically necessary and potentially life-saving for many transfeminine people.

As a member of the CNU’s bargaining committee, I did a truly massive amount of research on how other unions have expanded access to gender affirming care under their contracts, and made proposals at the table that would have made a number of trans-affirming procedures and treatments accessible for myself and others. We were not able to secure any of these protections in the final contract (you can read more about that in an interview I did with Jezebel, link at the bottom!). While we’re still looking for options as a union to help our members and their dependents access better healthcare, it’s become clear that a solution could be a long way from here, and waiting is less and less of an option for me, as the mental strain from waiting so long has only worsened.

I’m asking for help covering the costs of my gender affirming care, along with my recovery from surgery down the road. While I’d love to pay for the procedure myself — or have an employer cover the cost — it just isn’t feasible on my income in New York City. I am already directly asking family and friends to contribute, but it still would not be enough. Thank you for your support!

Jezebel Story: https://www.jezebel.com/conde-nast-reaches-deal-with-union-without-expanded-healthcare-for-trans-employees