Support Emmett's Essential Top Surgery Fund

Hi everyone,

My name is Emmett (he/him), and I’m a 22-year-old trans man hoping to raise some money to cover the unexpected costs of my upcoming top surgery. I’m excited to share that my surgery has been scheduled for April 28th, 2025, and I feel tremendous hope for the relief and safety it will finally bring! Unfortunately, I found out only a month before the surgery that my pre-authorization was denied by my insurance. If I don’t pay the $10-12k self-pay price in full beforehand, I won’t be able to get my surgery.

I only budgeted $5k for this surgery because after 2-3 months of triple-checking with my insurance that I would be covered, I assumed I’d only have to pay up to my family’s insurance plan’s out-of-pocket limit. However, it turns out my mother’s employer chose to exclude coverage for gender-affirming care. Hearing this was devastating—not only for the loss of coverage, but because I’d made call after call, email after email, even gotten a letter from my insurance verified by their legal department that I had coverage, and no one had told me that the employer itself would deliberately exclude my essential care as a trans person.

Given the current political climate, I know I can’t afford to reschedule or delay this surgery any further. I don’t know when gender-affirming surgery will no longer be an option. As the weather gets warmer, less layering means it will get harder to pass and fly under the radar in public. Violence, brutality, and hatred against trans people are rising, and I’m counting on this surgery to help keep me safer on the streets. I dream of the day I no longer dread transphobic attacks, feel comfortable in my own skin, and thrive as my authentic self.

I’m asking for $5k to make up the difference between what I saved for and the new cost. This surgery will empty out my life savings, so every dollar counts to help me recover my finances! Thank you for reading my story and for donating/sharing!