Funds

Why do women in transition seem to ask for donations to fund their transition? Yeah, obvious question since the cost of a transition depends on a number of factors but has several automatic costs, such as hair removal, therapy, doctors, drugs, clothes, etc. and the always surgeries.

The type and number of surgeries varys with the individual. Some, especially younger women, don't need cosmetic facial surgery, but most do to some extent. Some, but not most, elect to have breast augmentation surgery. And almost all, especially where it's necessary for documents but mostly personal choice, have gender affirmation surgery.

The last is often called sex or gender reassignment or confirmation surgery, but I like the feeling of gender affirmation surgery because it does what every transitioning woman wants to have for the rest of their life, the feeling and experience of their own vagina.

Anyway, back to the point. In even the most straight forward transition where the woman easily physically transition to integrate into the world as a woman, often calling passing, the cost can easily be in the $25-30,000 range, most of which will be the vaginoplasty.

If they're not so lucky and need or want additional surgeries, the cost quickly rises to $40-50,000 or more depending on the extent of the surgeries. It's only less if they have health insurance which covers part of the cost of their transtion.

But even then, breast augmentation and facial surgery is not covered by insurance and all the rest have co-pays, especially the surgery which doesn't include travel, accommodations, followup visits, etc. In short, it's not cheap.

And that often leads to some setting of accounts to donate to the transition costs. How many women who are transitioning can afford to help without taking money from their own transition? Outside of friends family, co-workers, etal, who's going to donate for a total stranger?

I'm sure many people donate to some of the women and it clearly always helps, which is why transitions should be covered by insurance. It's a known medical condition with an established treatment plan and protocol for a complete success.

I just wonder about why women out themselves to ask for donations and what they expect in terms of the amount. It's a choice if you don't have a ready source for the costs of your transition, like family which some do with supportive parents or access to a retirement, home equity or similar funds if you're older.

In any case, money seems to be the biggest impediment to transitions, and mostly for the last surgery. We need to find a better solution in the US, which are available in other countries where the costs are  covered including some surgeries, eg. Canada, Great Britain, etc.

Why

Why is it that when male journalists on TV news shows talk about "gay" rights and marriage equality only show video or images of gay men and only interview gay men or couples? Female journalists seem to balance the issue and people with men and women in the story. Don't women count or aren't part of the story when it comes to men?

Why is that when any journalist on TV takes about "LGBT" issue, they only mention the word "transgender" when saying the words in the acronym (LGBT),  but they never talk about the rights, lives and issues of transgender people? Don't they count or aren't effects by the same issues let alone those unique to them?

Yeah, statement of the obvious in the LGBT community, gay men discriminate against lesbians and both discriminate against transgender people. Not all, of course, just most.

Yes and No

Yes and No. That's the answer to several questions and while congratulations is due to Jared Leto for winning the Oscar for best supporting actor. He deserves it, but that raises the questions and the answers on both sides.

Yes, the people who made the movie, "The Dallas Buyer's Club", did have the right to pick whomever they wanted to play the role of the transgender woman with HIV since it wasn't a depiction of any real person.

But no, they didn't have the right to ignore the opportunity it would have given the many transgender actresses who could have played the part and probably better than Mr. Leto. It's one thing to credit a non-transgender (male) actor for playing a transgender woman, but totally different when someone's know the role by experience and life.

Yes, the transgender community had the right to express criticism, even outrage, at the move producers for their failure to give audtions and opportunity to transgender actresses. The producers had every obligation to give audtions.

No, the transgender community had no right to demand a transgender actress play the part unless they're willing to be the producer and write the checks.

Ok, not a real answer, but in the end, the producers missed an opportunity to help the transgender community and the transgender community missed an opportunity to engage the producers to get audtions and even a part.

But in the end, it's clear the role they wanted in the movie and it wasn't so much about a transgender woman but a supporting role to the lead roles, and Jared Leto wanted the role. That said, my congratulations to him isn't whole-hearted, but I doubt he cares because it was just a role to play than it being a real opportunity for a transgender actress.

Celebrities

Celebrity transgender women no more represent all transgender woman than actresses and models represent all women. They don't represent them in how they look or behave, what they say or with their experience. Transgender women are as diverse as all women in every aspect of being women, but more importantly they're all women and the word transgender is just a label the media uses to separate, even denigrate or demean them as women.

A Better Word

Instead of the word "passing" to describe how someone can live as their chosen gender and no one know their history, meaning their transition, I ran across a better word, "blending", meaning to just be like everyone else and no one cares to ask let alone wonder or know about their transition. A better word, to be lost among the many.