Meet Addison

Addison (they/them) is a 48-year-old non-binary person from Indiana seeking a tracheal shave, a gender-affirming procedure that their insurance deems “cosmetic” and therefore not covered. Whenever they have saved up enough money to afford care, life has thrown a challenge Addison’s way, including an unexpected back injury, their car breaking down, and a tree falling and damaging the roof of their house.

Addison is very involved in their local queer community by teaching diversity classes, as well as serving on the board of directors for several non-binary support organizations. Public speaking in this way, while meaningful to Addison, causes them some distress: “When speaking in public, I get nervous and self-conscious about my inordinately large Adam’s apple… The dysphoria gets so bad. If my Adam’s apple was reduced, I know I would be much more confident about my appearance and that would translate into a better performance during my speaking engagements. This would allow me to help the local LGBTQ community better.”

Addison is also a proud parent and enjoys many different hobbies, including playing the tuba, bass guitar, and double bass, participating in roller derby, filming and editing videos on gender theory. But most of all, Addison loves to teach. “I know how to create a safe and comfortable space where people can learn and I use that talent as my activism. It doesn’t pay much, obviously, but there’s nothing like the feeling of helping people understand themselves and others just a little bit better.”