Support Rayna's Ongoing Post-Op and Trauma Recovery

Hi there I'm Rayna an artist, folklorist, and community organizer living in New York City. I'm also the founder and director of Voluminous Arts, a cultural organization whose mission is to foreground, nurture, and advance the experimental artistic culture of transgender people and communities. I turned 50 this year. I initially started this Gofundme to help with the expenses of recovering from a life changing gender-affirming surgery I had in May of 2024. I'm re-upping it now as a source of ongoing support for me and my work as I navigate a difficult period in my life.

During the time I was recovering from surgery I experienced a series of tragic losses as well as severe mistreatment from an employer. These experiences extended my recovery time significantly. They also brought into focus the ways that who I am in the world and my dedication to a set of ethics and values centered in trans liberation can often make conventional channels of bringing in an income difficult to access.

In 2024 your contributions to this Gofundme will help me to:

I'm a person who lives with both severe complex trauma and PTSD. The experiences of my post-op recovery period have left me shaken. I have had to pull back from almost all gig work as well as a teaching job that was planned for the fall. I am also an artist and visionary whose work has had a profound influence on the world but, as is often the case, who has not seen the financial benefits of that work in the ways that those who have been influenced by it have. As I enter my 50's these factors have helped me see that ongoing outside sources of support and patronage are increasingly appropriate for me as I age. I would love to add you to the list of people supporting me during this time and into the future as well. I am so grateful for your help.