Fraternity Raises Funds for Brother's Transgender Surgery

When Donnie Collins's insurance company wouldn't chip in to help his transition, his brothers stepped up.

BY Michelle Garcia

February 26 2013 4:56 PM ET

A fraternity at Emerson College in Boston is raising funds to help one of their members pay for transgender surgery procedure that his insurance company has refused to pay for.

Donnie Collins came out to other members of Phi Alpha Tau as transgender. When they learned that Collins's top surgery would not be covered by his insurance, the fraternity launched an IndieGoGo page to help, and have already raised nearly $9,000.

"Donnie means a lot to us, and this surgery really means a lot to him," Phi Alpha Tau member Andy Schlebecker told Queerty. "He is one of those guys who goes out of his way to make everybody feel comfortable, and we just want to allow him to feel comfortable in his own skin, too."

Watch a video by Collins on the whole process below: