None of us should have to be lucky to get the care we need

Friends,

I’m drafting this as I count down the suddenly scheduled top surgery date that has been a long time coming. I’ve known for years that part of my gender affirming care journey would include top surgery. And I know, because of the wisdom of trans folks in and beyond my community, that there are a lot of obstacles to get the care I need.

I’ll note that I’m lucky to have insurance, because of my job with Freedom Oklahoma, because the data tells us over and over again that trans folks tend to be disproportionately uninsured or underinsured, and disproportionately likely not to seek needed health care because of cost barriers.

ID: digital collage of a photo of Solas making a peace sign while walking in the park, with a purple outline, with a bridge in front of him and greenery around, with a Freedom Oklahoma logo. Photo by Mauree Turner.

And I’m lucky to have the support to fight for insurance approval. Like many trans folks, I was initially denied insurance coverage of gender affirming care. Data suggests we’re denied insurance coverage for care at about double the rate of our cisgender community members. And particularly, it was coverage denied without much explanation as to why. But continuing to fight, and find providers who could help me articulate my need. And then I didn’t even know insurance had granted coverage until last week, when I got a call from my provider that instead of the 6+ months out scheduling-timeline, they could fit me in because of a cancellation within 2 weeks.

And I’m lucky to have a workplace that would help prioritize support so that I can take unexpected time off to recover during a time of year that can be especially chaotic.

none of us should have to be lucky to get the care we need

We deserve systems of care that meet all of our needs, from health care to community care to support in the ways we live in our day to day lives. And I’m grateful that is a little of the world I get to experience because of the work I do at Freedom Oklahoma, because of my community including Freedom Oklahoma, and because we’re practicing together the future where everything for everyone is a reality.

So, yeah. I’m sending this email, and tomorrow I get in to (finally) receive health care that is ultimately life-saving–something that will have a profound impact on my mental health and physical engagement with the world.

It would mean the world if you would give to help support the work of Freedom Oklahoma, so more folks can know this access to care, resources, and community to thrive, across Oklahoma and everywhere we call home.

invest in trans-led work in Oklahoma

In Solidarity,