Munya's Transition fund

Hello, and thank you to anyone who takes their time to read this. Setting up this go-fund-me is by far the most vulnerable I’ve been. My name is Munya, I am 24 years old, and I’m a black woman of Trans experience.

 

I’m originally from Zimbabwe Harare, where I grew up until I was ten and joined my biological family in Doncaster; then, we moved to Hull, where I grew up.

 

My life in Hull was challenging to say the least. I had a lot of obstacles I had to grow up within and navigate throughout my teenage years. (TW) these include racism and domestic abuse, which had a significant toll on my mental health. I was in survival mode for most of my teenage years, just trying to hold on until I could go to university. However, as I got older and wiser, I realised the reality of my upbringing, and coincidentally, I met some fantastic people. Those same people ultimately came to my rescue on a traumatic evening I ran away from the house I had grown up in.

 

The same upbringing I had also gave me a drive that forced me to exceed and focus on education to go to University, which I did in 2017. Amid the freshers, weeks, Unfortunately, this resulted in a fatal accident. I woke up in a hospital and felt unimaginable pain; however, after a few weeks, I came to understand what had happened. I allegedly "fell" from a bridge overlooking a road and landed face-first onto the pavement. I was fortunate to be alive, and had it not been for my long hair at the time, and the damage would have been fatal. It turns out I had fractured most bones in my face and had to undergo major facial reconstruction surgery. The injuries I sustained affected me physically and mentally during my stay in the hospital. However, I am so grateful for my Consultant, who did an outstanding job getting me back together. Over the past few years, my consultant helped me heal both physically and mentally; this whole accident truly taught me to love and cherish myself like never before. I saw how vulnerable we could become so quickly, but I gained an even bigger strength and a desire to live whilst relearning the skills I had lost.

 

Eventually, after some time out, I returned to university. With my newfound confidence, I began modelling, and that’s also when I started to address and navigate through my sexuality. I identify as Pansexual, and through that awakening, I hesitatingly began to understand Gender. Due to the nature of how the LGBTQIA community is viewed in Zimbabwe and having grown up within it, I knew it would be better to ignore this feeling. Furthermore, this has been the ongoing path I’ve been on, as some may have witnessed.

 

Whilst working in fashion, I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve received, and I’m looking forward to the future. I work as a model and head of casting and fashion ambassador of a new fashion brand; I also dabble in styling and have so much more to give. Fashion for me unleashes creativity which allows me to present myself in the way I am, and that's a tool I have always known ever since I put on my first dress back in Zimbabwe. However, in this same breath, the body dysmorphia that comes with it is also something I think about daily. I want to look back at my work and know I chose myself, and I'm not living in the images; for someone like me, this perception of me will be on the internet forever, so I would like some control over this. I am now at the point where I know who I am better than anyone because I’ve had to fight through a tremendous amount already. I continue to do so as I step outside every day because of my fantastic chosen family, housemates and friends, who cherish me and love me for all the things I grew up suppressing. I’ve lost my dear sister "B" I didn’t realise how much her existence and mine had become intertwined for a reason. Little did I know she was the light I needed to see.

 

So I’ve come to you all to ask for some help. Healthcare for trans people in the UK is not adequate due to lack of government funding and waiting lists which can take years. As people who have already given years of our lives in assigned bodies, you cannot imagine the weight, physically and mentally. I cannot rely on this current system. So I’ve been researching recommended healthcare providers who specialise in helping Trans individuals live their lives as who we are. I’m interested in a multidisciplinary team that consists of doctors, nurses, therapists, counsellors, and psychologists who are all specially chosen because of their knowledge in the care of Trans and gender non-conforming patients.

 

I am asking you to help me access gender-affirming procedures and professionals that will help me throughout my transition. I have seen my sisters struggle at the mercy of the healthcare systems and the funding required, and a piece of advice they have told me is that it’s okay to ask for help. Therefore, this money will cover my healthcare, certificates and licences, medication, therapy, and essential housing costs. I also want to find a new home I can transition into whilst feeling in control. I am seeking these funds urgently/long term to begin the process for my mental health, so I can keep working on my growth simultaneously. I want to live my life the way I know I was destined to and also build something for myself so I can be the representation I wish a younger version of me had seen.

 

Thank you to all my trans sisters, brothers, GNC siblings, chosen family and friends who are in my life and those I’m yet to meet; you are all beautiful, fearfully and wonderfully made and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

Keynote to take away - you are not entitled/ have any idea at what stage someone around you is, so please treat everyone with the same respect you would like to receive.

 

Any further/leftover donations will be put back into the community to help all of us live happier, fuller lives.

My Cash app is : £Munya99 for any immediate donations i can use for daily essentials.

If anyone wants to help in another way, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Kind Regards Munya Jani 

 

She/Her