Transgender man shares realities of transitioning as a ‘poor person’

A transgender man has spoken out about the realities of trying to transition as a ‘poor person’ with no job and state insurance, and he revealed that he was forced to keep his breasts because he couldn’t afford the surgery to have them removed.

Physically transitioning from a male to female or a female to male typically requires two surgeries – one procedure on the chest area and one on the genital area – and each one costs thousands of dollars.

Trans man Adonis Zeigler, 19, is now exposing the devastating impact these costs, most of which are not covered by his insurance, can have, detailing how growing up in a ‘poor family’ has prevented him from completing his physical transition, and left him faced with cruel comments from trolls who question his sexuality because he still has visible breasts.

Adonis, a partire dal Ohio, began transitioning from female to male in 2017, but has yet to undergo any surgical procedures to change his physical shape.

Adesso, he says he is often faced with questions and comments like, ‘You have boobs,’ '[What the f**k] tu sei?’ and ‘I’m confused, why do you have a beard?’

Parlando: A transgender man has opened up about the realities of trying to transition as a ‘poor person’ with no job and state insurance

Adonis Zeigler, 19, revealed that he was forced to keep his breasts because he couldn’t afford the surgery to have them removed

He spoke out about it in a now-viral TikTok video. When someone asked him, ‘Why do you choose to keep them?’ lui ha risposto, ‘I didn’t. I’m poor, unemployed, with state insurance’

And he decided to respond to one of the questions in a now-viral Video di TikTok.

‘Why do you choose to keep them?’ Adonis wrote in the clip. ‘I didn’t. io sono solo 19. I’m poor, from a poor family, unemployed, with state insurance.

‘Not every [transmasculine] person gets lucky with privileged parents, supportive networks, or lucrative businesses to get top surgery young. Now stop f**king asking us unless you’re footing the bill.’

‘Real tired of this s**t,’ he captioned the video, which has been viewed more than four million times since it was posted earlier this month.

After one viewer said that he should ‘get to work,’ Adonis – who defines himself as a non-binary man – responded and explained in another clip that he was recently forced to quit his ‘abusive job’ because it had ‘inconsistent hours, poor management, and pay inconsistencies.’

‘I had a job but I quit it because I didn’t feel like being abused by that workplace anymore,’ Ha aggiunto.

‘I had good savings but over the past year and a half I have been continuously set back time and time again.’

When he originally started to transition at age 15, Adonis said he was able to take hormones because his dad had a union job and it was covered under his insurance.

‘We were still poor, but he had union benefits so I could get hormones. Until he lost that job. I haven’t been on hormones in several years,’ Lui continuò.

Adonis said he is often faced with questions and comments like, ‘You have boobs,’ '[What the f**k] tu sei?’ and ‘I’m confused, why do you have a beard?’

After one viewer said that he should ‘get to work’ Adonis, who defines himself as a non-binary man, said he was recently forced to quit his ‘abusive job’ because it had ‘poor management’

The 19-year-old told Buzzfeed in a recent interview that the only reason his father supported his transition was because he ‘getting bad mentally.’

‘Not even years of therapy was stopping my self-destructive tendencies and worsening grades,’ Egli ha detto.

Adesso, he works as a freelance artist and ‘barely makes $200 a week.’ He is also no longer in contact with his father.

‘I don’t have contact with my father and I don’t have a mother. I never asked my parents or even expected them to help me with this,’ he explained on TikTok.

‘I didn’t expect anyone to help me with this. I didn’t make that post looking or asking for help. I was venting because it’s something I have been frustrated about for years.

‘I fear that I am never going to be able to transition because of the pattern of working, saving, then getting hit with an emergency I couldn’t have predicted.’

Secondo Healthline, male to female ‘top’ surgery can cost anywhere between $5,000 e $10,000. The reconstructive surgery involves doctors adding saline or silicone implants to someone’s chest to increase the size of their breasts.

Female to male ‘top’ surgery costs anywhere between $3,000 e $10,000, and it involves removing breast tissue so that the chest reflects a flat, masculine appearance.

‘Bottom’ chirurgia, also known as sex reassignment surgery or gender confirmation surgery, normally ranges from $6,000 per $50,000, but in very rare cases it can cost as high as $150,000.

There are three different types of ‘bottom’ surgeries, including a vaginoplasty, a phalloplasty, and a metoidioplasty.

Adesso, he works as a freelance artist and ‘barely makes $200 a week.’ He said he struggles to save money due to having to spend it on things like ‘car repairs and sudden moves’

Egli ha detto: ‘I fear that I am never going to be able to transition because of the pattern of working, saving, then getting hit with an emergency I couldn’t have predicted’

Adonis added to Buzzfeed, ‘When it comes to access to gender-affirming surgeries, I really wish people would consider the individual and their circumstances.

‘Aside from financial constraints for those that seek surgery, there are countless situations that make surgery necessary for not just their mental health but oftentimes their survival.

‘2021 has been a horrid year in trans homicide statistics and I have personal experience where, even binding in a plain work uniform, I’ve been outed and felt unsafe in my own workplace.

‘Every trans person has their own unique situation. Some are fortunate enough to have access to what they need early and that makes me happy that their joy is the mainstream image of trans experiences.

'Però, a lot of trans folks are not as fortunate and our struggles are not talked about because of that.’