"Becoming Chaz"

[theoddz]

I dunno, I kinda see where Andrew is going with his curiosity (and mine, too, btw) about how Chaz managed to pay for everything, his celebrity status and family name aside. In fact, I'll own up to having those same questions in my mind as well.

I think that, as transmen, we DO wonder about finances, because that detail is exactly what keeps many transPEOPLE from being able to go through the transition process. Employment is the other valid question. A LOT of guys who transition lose jobs, family, etc.. This turns life, as we knew it before, on its very ear, so yes, we do wonder about that. Finances ARE an issue, and when you put something like this in the public eye, I think it's reasonable to then be honestly curious as to how Chaz financed his transition. I think a little more could have (and maybe should have) been revealed about Chaz's circumstances, since this is a very big part of the transition process for everyone else.

I paid entirely out of pocket for Every. Single. Thing. in my transition, at first. It wasn't until I got going a bit that I was able to get the VA to cover my T and the lab followup. I paid entirely out of pocket for my top surgery. Thank goodness I already had years of tenured employment with the Federal Gov't under my belt and protections as a Disabled Veteran, or I might have found myself out of a job the moment I mentioned "transition" to my employer. These ARE valid questions.

Insurance doesn't cover medical transition, for the most part, and many, many transpeople don't even have money for traditional medical insurance anyway, so I think that the curiosity surrounding Chaz's finances IS justified. Maybe he was just saving those details for his book?? MY opinion is that, if he's going to be putting a "face" on transfolks and offering up his own experience to the public eye, then he should perhaps be a bit more forthcoming with the financial details of his transition.

My .02

~Theo~