Marceline's Visa Costs & Transition Fundraiser

UPDATE 16/01/2025: I am now in recovery from bottom surgery and I have successfully settled in the UK. I'm leaving this fund open because both of these have absolutely destroyed me financially and I could very much use help rebuilding after this, paying for recovery related expenses, and general trans healthcare. Thanks to everyone who helped me get here and who helped make my surgery and settlement a possibility (fully could not have done it without this fund). What follows is the original GFM page...

TL;DR:

The home office is charging me £3,000 to stay in the country I've lived in for the past 10 years. It's £4,000 if I need a decision sooner than 6 months (which I need to find work, prove my right to rent, travel, etc.) so... basically it's £4,000 to all but the very privileged, who of course can afford to pay the extra money anyway. Oh, and if you pay the extra £1k, it only takes a day to make a decision, instead of 6 months. (>_<)

On top of this, I'm scheduled in for bottom surgery in November. It may seem extreme to be going through such a radical life event two months before my visa expires, but the price is going up next year, so I paradoxically can only afford to do it now and yet the timing is, financially, not the best.

I'm already £1,500 in debt due to a failed medical procedure I was pressured into in July, and my main income source ended up 3 months late on invoices during this time, so it's been a big struggle bus for me lately.

About Me:

My name is Marceline. I'm a 27 year old trans woman living in London. I'm a starving artist (I make video essays, music, and art) and I've just graduated with £16,000 of debt and a masters degree in... critical theory! XD Needless to say I am simply not the most employable, and while I do have a job currently, it barely covers my living expenses and on top of that, invoices have been very unstable and unreliable lately; and I can't look for new work until after I've recovered (about 2 months) and potentially much longer if I have to opt for the 3k visa option. I hate asking for help, but sadly there aren't a lot of options for me. Like a lot of trans people, my family do not support me. In fact, they've been non-stop harassing me about my surgery, begging me 'not to cut my dick off' and angrily telling me how 'selfish I am' for 'denying them a son'. Needless to say, they're not gonna support me, and it's been honestly hell having to put up with all the constant negativity and scare mongering about my surgery and life choices.

The Details:

The nitty gritty... As mentioned already, I need to fundraise the costs of my visa, as well as raise funds to support my bottom surgery. I'm getting surgery in Colombia, so I need help affording flights and accommodation, as well as compensating for my inability to work by helping me with rent and living costs throughout my recovery. I've set the goal to £7,000 for now to be realistic, but the actual amount I need is much, much higher than this, and it's a scary time, because if anything goes wrong with surgery I can't afford a revision or another trip to Colombia, and if I have to be out of work for a long time things could be quite challenging for me. I'm just trying to stay positive right now and reassure myself that things will be okay. Any amount really helps, so thank you so much!!