the Transgender cancer patient project

How the project got started:

As a result of some vigorous internet searching to find other trans people with cancer, we (Charlie and Roman) met on Tumblr in 2017. Together we reflected on our experiences, and almost a year later we decided to start this project. We began by creating a collaborative trans cancer patient anthology "Transpire" in order to build community, and advocate for healthcare and treatment that recognizes our autonomy and diversity. Through this, we also found that there were very few cancer resources and support groups created by and for patients themselves, and even less created with trans people in mind. So we hoped to provide a space where trans people with cancer can just be together and started the Transgender Cancer Network on Facebook - a support group for and by trans cancer patients. 

The goal for this website and our zines: 

The main goal for this project will always be to support and provide community for fellow transgender cancer patients. We also seek to create and collaborate on community led sources of education and activism in order to de-stigmatize patient experiences and de-gender healthcare at large. On this website you can find trusted resources and groups, events we are attending, projects we're working on, trans cancer patient related fundraisers to share and donate to, and zines! Some of the zines you'll find in our Zine Library and Shop we have inherited from our partner Lex Rivers who helped us run this project, and a dear trans cancer zinester friend Aster K. Foley, both of whom passed away due to cancer in the fall of 2022. They asked that we keep their zines circulating, so it's super important to us to highlight their zines in the collection whenever we can. Any trans cancer patients who make zines are welcome to collaborate with us and/or add their cancer related zines to the collection at any time! Please reach out if this is you.

We love to use zines, or self published books, to explore many of these topics because they allow us full artistic freedom. We are always working on making new zines available for everyone to read for free online, as well as printed copies to send for free to fellow trans cancer patients. We sell printed zines for a small fee online and at zine fests throughout the year to help offset the cost of zine production, and also to contribute to trans cancer patient fundraisers.

Very importantly, this is not our job and we have/will never make a profit from this project. We simply do it because it's something we care deeply about. Any donated funds we receive are paid back to transgender cancer patients directly via cash giving apps or fundraising pages. If you are or know of a trans cancer patient actively looking for financial assistance please connect us so that we can share their info here and on social media - the amount of money we are able to give will vary based on zine sales, project donations, and our personal financial situations. You can find people's fundraisers to share and donate to yourself under the 'Mutual Aid' tab. 

The Transgender Cancer Patient Project and all of the friends we've made throughout these years because of it are extremely special to us, and we hope to make things as accessible, supportive, and safe as we can. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out! With that in mind, we are only supporting individuals and community led projects that aim to directly improve the lives of trans people with cancer, and to dismantle oppressive systems. For profit corporations, non-profits, or researchers looking for us to advertise should expect no response. 

With love and solidarity,

Roman Ruddick and Charlie Manzano

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