Guest Blog: Why I'm Running Hundreds of Miles for Point of Pride

Hello again, friends! I want to tell you more about my support Point of Pride. This is the organization I chose to promote over the summer. I will be donating and fundraising during hundreds of miles of training and two ultra-marathons. (You can read more about it here.)

As I said before, I love running. Getting out on the trails has been a joy (and therapeutic) for me since I was a young teen. I have been running for 20 years and I wish it were easy for me to go up mountain trails. More often than not, it feels like a slog. However, reaching the top sends electricity through my body. The embrace of cool mountain air and the sight of surrounding mountains fills me with so much joy., The feeling of running across an alpine ridge-line motivates me to run all winter, waiting for the snow fields to clear. Skiing doesn’t even come close.

When choosing a non-profit, I wanted it to match or exceed the passion I feel with running. That is why it felt easy to choose an organization like Point of Pride. They are closely intertwined with the transgender community, providing financial assistance for gender-affirming care. I am trans. These are my siblings. I care about them deeply.

My own experience of being trans has been one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of my life. Like running uphill, living as a trans-person in the USA can feel like a slog. For any of you who have lived under a rock these past few years, I’ll briefly catch you up. The federal government (and many red states) has made the trans-community the whipping boy for many of society’s ills. Month after month propaganda has been spread by those seeking more power. Horrific legislation has been passed. The self-appointed defenders of gender have made it abundantly clear: trans-people should not exist.

Looking back through US history, trans-people have never held a privileged place in society. They have not held positions of power. Instead, trans-people have been kicked out of their homes, beaten and murdered. It wasn’t until 2014 when gender-affirming care even started being more widely covered by health insurance. Many trans-people struggle financial before even factoring in the extraordinary costs of life-saving care. Despite all of this, trans-people still exist and live publicly as themselves.

When I confronted my own trans-identity, life erupted with richness. Staying alive was finally worth the cost of living, even as my day to day was more difficult. It was like I was born to run, but it wasn’t until I came out as trans that I finally grew legs. Nothing became suddenly easy, but the pain became worth it.

I recognize I am a white physician and have so much more than many in my community. I have health insurance and live in a state with requirements for covering gender-affirming care. I need you to understand that despite this, I have paid tens of thousands of dollars for my own healthcare. I have lost months of wages to recover from surgeries. I have become a “difficult patient” with some doctors, demanding respect their respect for who I am. I know the ins and outs of this health system better than 99% of the population. I even have a flexible job that enabled me to get the care I need. My experience with trans-healthcare alone has been enough to make me consider de-transitioning! There have been days where slogging through it all made me want to lay down and tumble down the mountain.

And yet, I am still here.

This journey is not about reaching a destination. There is no arrival with being trans, there is just continuing to onward. What I have learned as I continue onward is my life is about knowing who and what I love. Each day I get to choose whether I move toward my loves.

One of those loves is my community. Supporting Point of Pride means I get to help people in my community. Point of Pride has provided nearly $6 million dollars in grants to trans-folks in need. They help with surgery, medication, fertility, electrolysis and more. It is an organization run by trans-people for trans-people. On top of that, they have 4/4 stars on Charity Navigator and have earned a Platinum Seal for transparency on Candid.

I think back to the days I have not wanted to continue. I know I have many siblings who see no way out of the darkness. If I can help one trans-person experience less pain and access the care that they need, all of my efforts will be worth it. I am not conquering mountains, but I am moving up them one step at a time.