A dream for Claire and her community

If you’re active in San Diego’s trans community, you’ve likely heard of Claire Russell. She’s known for being imaginative, being service oriented and for being an organizer. Her work includes volunteering at the LGBT Youth Center, creating an online San Diego Trans Resource Center and she was a key organizer for the first annual Trans*Pride and March.

Claire dreams and those dreams include serving her local trans community here in Southern California.

And, her dreams also include wanting to become a licensed electrologist.

Hair removal is a medically necessary procedure for transition for most trans women. Looking at oneself in the mirror and being able to see yourself as someone whose gender identity on the inside matches the gender expression and presentation on the outside often requires trans women to remove their facial hair. A visible beard line is often the difference between being gendered as male or female, and often is the difference between hearing a stranger refer to one as “sir” or “ma’am.”

As a trans woman, I’ve had to have a lot of hair removed from my face to feel comfortable with the reflection I see looking back at me in the mirror. My own beard was heavy and dark, and nearly impossible to cover with make-up. I remember in my first years of transition looking at my beard and crying.

I’ve had laser treatments and electrolysis to remove my visible beard. Even now, I have a heavy beard of blond and white hair that I’d like, at some point, to more fully remove, but finding an electrologist …

As a trans woman, finding an electrologist with whom one is comfortable is often difficult. An electrologist for a trans woman is someone providing a very personal service to someone with a far from typical sensitive issue – the hair removal going to the very definition of one’s externally perceived gendered self.

Claire knows this. Claire knows that a lot of trans women would be more comfortable with a trans electrologist. Claire also knows that the cost of hair removal can be prohibitive.

With all that in mind, Claire has a plan. Her plan is to become a licensed electrologist, partner with LGBT non-profits, and offer hair removal to trans people who need it at little to no cost. In other words, not just provide hair removal as a commercial venture, but in a way that also gives back to the community she belongs to.

In preliminary discussions with non-profits who’d be best set to partner to provide these services, her idea has been warmly received. It’s also been warmly received by the local community, some of whom have endorsed her vision in a video. Her family is supportive too.

But, Claire has to become a licensed electrologist first.

So, she plans to move to Santa Ana for between six and eight months, go to school and pass the state electrologist exam. Then she plans on moving back to San Diego, acquire equipment necessary for the trade, and start working as an electrologist, after which she’d then set-up contracts with LGBT non-profits.

She’s estimated the cost of attending school, passing the state exam and setting up business to be about $28,000, and has set up an IndyGoGo campaign to raise funds. Her fundraising page is entitled Free Electrolysis BY and FOR Transgender people.

When we talk about the needs of most minority communities, one of the first issues is employment, and most employment requires degrees and/or specialized training. Claire’s desire for a career is like the dreams of many, but Claire’s dream of combining a commercial career with service to her community isn’t as common.

I know I’m donating to Claire’s dream; I hope others do too. To donate to Claire’s fundraiser go here.