Grab Bag
Free Gender Affirming Gear - We Are Family Charleston offers cost-free gear (binders, packers, tuck kits, etc.) for South Carolina youth *24 years and under.
Name Change Assistance- Transgender Awareness Alliance offers cost-free assistance for folks in South Carolina with obtaining legal name and/or gender marker changes.
Therapy
Free Mental Health Services - We Are Family provides free mental health services for LGBTQI+ youth aged 24 and younger. Clients are paired with a participating counselor based on likely best fit. Complete an application here.
Sander T Jones (she/her) - Georgia-based, licensed to practice in South Carolina. Jones specializes in working with folks from the LGBTQIA+, Polyamory, Kink, BDSM, Sex worker, Adult Film Worker, Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities. $250 per session and worth every penny.
Asha Purohit (they/she) - Local to Columbia, SC. Asha is family and specializes in working with queer, kinky and ENM clients. Asha is a fantastic clinician and is an active member of all of the populations they serve. There are not many clinicians in SC I enthusiastically recommend and this endorsement is an enthusiastic one.
Psychiatry
Sien Rivera, MD ( they/them)- specialties include LGBTQIA-inclusive mental health care, psychoanalytic psychotherapies, and play therapy. Dr. Rivera is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and is co-chair of the Committee on Gender and Sexuality of the American Psychoanalytic Association. *Requires a referral
Dr. Matthew Gaskins, MD- comprehensive evaluations of adults (age 18-65) seeking psychiatric services for medication assessment and diagnostic clarification. He treats a variety of psychiatric illnesses including but not limited to depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and bipolar disorders. *Requires a referral, does not accept insurance but also doesn’t gatekeep treatment if the client is unable to afford prohibitively expensive diagnostic evaluations.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
*Because of House Bill 4624, no one under the age of 18 can currently access puberty blockers/HRT. Also: regardless of age, state healthcare plans are no longer covering/contributing to safe, affirming care. 💩🤬
Planned Parenthood- offers informed consent HRT scripts and management. If you need to pay for HRT out of pocket here is what you are looking at:
Masculinization initial appointment: $146-215, follow-ups: $105-221
Feminization initial appointment: $166-$215, follow-ups: $125-259
Gender-Affirming Surgery
Dr. Hope Sherie- Dr. Sherie provides chest masculinization and feminization. Located in Charlotte, NC. *I have not worked with Dr. Sherie directly but several clients have and reported positive experiences.
Dr. Brian Cope- An absolute treasure of a urologist. Dr. Cope performs orchiectomies for folks across the gender spectrum. Dr. Cope is family, providing affirming care in a safe space.
Dr. Nikki Jones- Dr. Jones preforms a variety of gender affirming surgeries, including bottom surgery. She is local and works with insurance.
**Recently it was reported that Dr. Jones’ office responded to an episode of non-threatening/non-violent emotional dysregulation in a way that put two members of a vulnerable population at a greater risk of institutional harm. While I am not able to confirm specifics, at this time of increased vulnerability and emotional difficulty for our trans community this feels important to note here.
Gender-Affirming Obstetrics
Rachel Ahn Allan, MD OBGYN who provides excellent care for trans-identified AFAB folks, including gender affirming hysterectomies and childbirth. Rachel is a solid ally who’s so much more than accepting. She shows up. You’ll be in good hands with her.