Before anything else, I want to start with thank you.
Thank you to everyone who has purchased something from Still Valid™.
Thank you to those who have liked, commented on, and shared my posts.
Thank you to those who have taken the extra step to leave reviews on my site.
None of that goes unnoticed. When you’re building something mostly on your own, those small actions feel enormous. They remind me that this isn’t happening in a vacuum...that there are real people on the other side of this brand, choosing to support it.
A personal milestone
Recently, I underwent my third and final gender-affirming facial masculinization procedure.
I feel grateful. Relieved. Emotional. A little raw.
This surgery is not about becoming someone new; it’s about finally feeling a bit more aligned with the person I’ve always known myself to be. There’s a quiet kind of peace in that. A sense of coming home to myself.
And at the same time, it’s impossible to separate this joy from the larger reality of existing as a transgender person in the United States right now.
The weight of this moment in history
Since the beginning of 2025, hundreds of anti-trans bills have been introduced across the U.S. Many of them have already passed into law.
Bills that limit access to healthcare.
Bills that restrict where we can exist safely.
Bills that erase our identities from schools, public life, and legal recognition.
Even when these laws don’t directly affect me in this exact moment, they affect how it feels to live here. They create a constant undercurrent of fear, vigilance, and exhaustion. A sense that our lives are up for debate...again and again.
So while I’m healing from surgery, I’m also holding grief. Anger. Sadness. A deep tiredness that comes from watching people like me be targeted so openly and so casually.
Holding both things at once
That’s the strange truth I’m sitting with right now:
I can be deeply thankful and deeply hurt at the same time.
I can celebrate my own gender-affirming care while knowing how many are being denied it.
I can feel joy about progress in my own body while feeling heartbreak about the direction of this country.
Both things are real. Neither cancels the other out.
Why Still Valid™ exists
Still Valid™ exists in this tension.
It exists because visibility matters...even quiet visibility.
Because affirmation doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.
Because sometimes the reminder that we are still here, still worthy, still valid…is enough to get through another day.
This brand is a work in progress. Built in spare moments. Between a full-time job, life responsibilities, and recovery days. It’s imperfect and evolving...just like I am.
Thank you, truly
If you’ve supported Still Valid™ in any way...by purchasing, sharing, reviewing, or simply being here...I’m grateful beyond words. Your support doesn’t just help sustain this brand. It helps me feel less alone in a time that can feel incredibly isolating.
I’m still learning as I go. I welcome honest feedback, ideas, and conversations. And I remain committed to using this space to uplift other trans creators, businesses, and voices whenever I can.
Some days are heavier than others. But for now, I’m healing. I’m grateful. And I’m still here.
Still valid. Always.
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