Meet Eboni
Eboni's story
Annual Trans Surgery Fund recipient
Eboni (she/her) is a 54-year-old trans woman seeking body augmentation. For many years, Eboni fought a losing battle to find a doctor in her area of upstate South Carolina who would prescribe the HRT to trans people. When she finally found one that was willing to do so, her insurance company refused coverage.
Eboni first became an activist without knowing it: in the 1980s, she watched many of her friends die from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Despite the challenges going on in her own life, she sheltered as many people as she could until their last days, and gathered resources to support and prevent so many other early deaths. To this day, Eboni continues to sacrifice so she can feed and finance loved ones in her life; her remaining finances barely keep a roof over her head.
Eboni shares, "If only people could meet the person on the inside first, then they would openly welcome trans folks." She says that once her surgery is complete, "I will have the confidence to sit at the tables that were previously unobtainable to trans women and be taken more seriously."
Eboni's timeline
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Award Granted
March 30, 2023
Eboni was granted a Surgery Fund Award!
Grant details
$12,000 towards gender-affirming care.
TikTok-a-Thon granteeDonate
Help us support more people like Eboni get the care they need and deserve.
About Body Contouring
On average, it costs $13,500+ for Eboni's care.
- What is it?
- Accessibility
What is it?
Body contouring refers to a series of surgical procedures (often through liposuction) aimed at reshaping and sculpting the body to change its appearance to be more traditionally feminine or more traditionally masculine.
How accessible is it for trans folks to receive this care?
Body contouring is generally considered to be a cosmetic procedure, and so it is unlikely that health insurance will cover the cost. It can also be hard for trans femme folks to find trans-affirming surgeons in their region.