Financial Struggles as a Transgender Student

    When we talk about trans inclusivity in college, no one brings up the financial aspect of it. Of course, it is nice to be able to have safe spaces to talk about gender queerness or to be recognized as a fellow human being in the student body, but being trans in college adds an extra layer to finances that most of our cisgender peers do not have to worry about. 

    I'm talking about HRT, top surgery, blood tests, physical exams, bottom surgery, gender-conforming wardrobes, and apparel. Keep in mind that not all trans people want to get surgery or hormones, but there is a lot of trans people who do. Even without the hormones and surgeries, getting apparel is expensive enough! I personally do not like spending $40-50 on a binder, but I also don't like having my C-cup boobs protruding out of my chest every waking moment. 

    So what can we do to have the necessities we need as trans people while still being able to afford college? If you know the answer, please contact me! I jest, but this is a concern for genderqueer youth in America. Many of us have considered forgoing all treatments and suffering in a cisgender identity in order to survive college financially, but it's not healthy. If I had to hear one more person call me a woman, I would rip my hair out. 

    What can we do as Transgender students in university? Below is a list of things I have done to try to make it through:

• Binder rewards: Some websites, like gc2b, have a rewards system where every dollar you spend is a point you receive. With these points, you can redeem coupons that make your next purchase cheaper. You can also earn these points by following them on social media, referring to a friend, or simply having a birthday. While this is great in theory, sometimes it means spending more money in order to save. Most of the time I either wait for a discount or for my birthday when I get free points to spend. 
• Thrift shopping: I used to hate shopping for clothes, but now that I am set within my identity, I love looking for clothes to showcase the sexy man that I am. That is within reason. If I am looking to update my wardrobe, I always hit the closest thrift store for more masculine attire. Most of the time I don't find something in my size, but when I do, it is worth it. Don't like thrift shopping? See if there are any retail stores shutting down near you. Most of the time they will have huge sales (50%-60% off) in order to get rid of everything. 
• The hunt for HRT: It took me months to find an inexpensive HRT provider for me, and that was when Plume (a fantastic HRT service) was finally made available in my state. My best advice is to find a service that is cheap and/or works with your insurance but also cares about your needs. Please do not force yourself to stay with a provider or pharmacist if they are rude to you. I know I have some pharmacy horror stories, so please be cautious! 
• Surgery: ah, the big one. This goes for top and bottom surgery. The only thing for this is to wait. I have been counting down the days till my HRT one-year anniversary so I can qualify for insurance copay, and I've been hunting for good surgeons that can take my insurance. Even if that doesn't work, I make sure I grab the bare minimum from stores to save for my surgery. It's a rough time. 

Honestly, it feels like a losing battle. It feels like the world is making me choose between college and fully transitioning, and that's not even mentioning the backlash from being trans in the workplace. Colleges love to support the LGBT+ community until it actually costs resources and effort. They will continue to have little rainbow keychains and profile pictures during June, but no one cares about us after June or about the financial hardships we endure year-long. No one cares if I eat rice and beans for weeks straight just to save up for my monthly HRT payment. To the university, my worth is less than the $2 million sign they put up outside our university (which is horrendous looking by the way). Imagine how many students could have benefitted from that?

I can go on about how angry universities make me with their useless spending. The point is college students, in general, suffer financially, and trans students have more finances to worry about just for existing. The worst part about it is that colleges acknowledge us, then they donate their money to places that don't help us. At the end of the day, colleges care about numbers and statistics, but we are not numbers. We are humans, and we struggle and fight for any chance we have to survive. 

Well, I'm tired of surviving. I'm sick of thrift store button-ups that I can't get the smoke smell out of. I'm sick of rice and beans. I'm tired of watching my bank account to see if any money from my $8/hr jobs comes through. I want to thrive, and attend college as myself without having to worry about how to support myself. 

I guess I can end this post on a good note and talk about how well my hormone treatments are going, but the experience is ruined when I have to consider stopping it in order to eat this month. 

Stay safe, keep care of yourselves, and I hope we can all get the financial aid we need in order to be our authentic selves. 

Lazareth Divine