Meet Silas
Silas' story
Thrive Fund recipient
Silas (he/they) is a Two Spirit Chahta community member from Oklahoma displaced on Timucuan land. Due to the restrictive laws introduced in Florida their trans wife and child and themselves have been stripped of HRT access, the ability to use the restroom without criminalization in public and the fear that their minor trans child can be taken for simply existing. Silas has dealt with homelessness and housing insecurity all their life and is only just now reaching a more stable time in their lives. However the cost of fertility access is still out of reach. As a native and a trans person having the ability to grow their family is very important to them.
Silas is an avid organizer, and community activist doing weekly food-share and mutual aid program for the homeless, teaching children classes each week at their local co-op and has organized local fundraising concerts to raise funds for causes close to their heart.
Silas shares, "I don’t know how to put in words what accessing this would mean to me. Whether it’s preserving a future where I get to have a child of my own, or actually receiving the ability to conceive and have a child with my wife and sibling for my child... I just want the same chance cis couples have."
This is life saving care: to be able to grow a family that is a safe haven for trans people. Silas has been holding off on other trans affirming surgeries until after securing fertility and will now be able to securely and happily further their transition with HRT and top surgery down the line. This is the first step of many in their life.
Silas' timeline
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Award Granted
November 25, 2024
Silas was awarded a Thrive Fund award!
Grant details
$2,000 towards gender-affirming care.
Donate
Help us support more people like Silas get the care they need and deserve.
About Fertility Preservation/Reproductive Health
On average, it costs $7,250+ for Silas' care.
- What is it?
- Before care
- Accessibility
- After care
What is it?
Fertility preservation includes services like sperm banking, egg retrieval, and other ways to help trans folks keep their options open for having biological children in the future.
What is life like for a person who needs this care?
The long-term effects of HRT or GAHT on fertility aren’t well studied, but there’s evidence that HRT may affect fertility. Even for those whose fertility isn’t impacted, they often need to pause HRT temporarily to restore it. This pause can be challenging, both emotionally and physically, and may lead to increased feelings of dysphoria.
How accessible is it for trans folks to receive this care?
Fertility services can be covered by some insurances, but typically have a lifetime cap on pay out and some parts of the process are not covered.
What is the impact of this care on the recipient’s life?
Access to this care allows trans folks to eventually parent a biological child. It removes the need to pause HRT to regain fertility, and removes the uncertainty around the long-term effects of HRT on fertility.