Hi!

I've been working as a frontline social worker serving people experiencing homelessness and at-risk youth for seven years. During that time, I've never taken more than a week off work, even when I was hospitalized with Type 1 diabetes.

Right now, I'm struggling in ways that I haven't before. I'm struggling to accomplish work tasks, to empathize with my clients, and to show up every day to be a support. I am exhausted, experiencing severe burnout. My clients are vulnerable people, often other trans people, and I simply can't provide them the care they deserve while I'm in this state.

I've taken emergency mental health leave to address burnout, suicidal ideation, and substance use. My state's paid leave program is a wonderful resource, but payments can take time, as long as a month from today when I file. Until then, I'm worried about covering rent, groceries, and other basic expenses.

I don't want to return to full-service sex work to bridge that gap. It has been traumatic for me, and doing so again would mean putting myself back into situations I've worked hard to leave behind.

If you're able to help, your support will help me keep a roof over my head, buy groceries, and give me the time to recover without having to earn money in ways that are painful or dangerous for me.

0/1200

I think dating anyone seriously in the first two years of your medical transition is generally inadvisable and also that identifying as trans before you begin undergoing transition essentially does not matter. What matters is the combination of social transition (changed name, changed presentation, changed identity) and medical transition (hormone replacement therapy, gender affirming surgery) that creates what we colloquially call "transitioning".

Dating around or having hookups i think is very normal and useful for early transition girls to figure out new sexual schema but it also creates an environment in which you are at your most vulnerable to chasers and people who want to use you sexually. A stable relationship might seem like protection from this but it will likely push you to stay in old schema or build ones that are designed to please a current partner. You need time to figure out what you want without another person there changing the character of what you can ask for.