Non-Binary Performer Gets Cervical Cancer Diagnosis During COVID-19 Epidemic

I got home from a tour that was supposed to go for another week on March 16, 2020. I was falling asleep next to my partner and my step cat and I said “Everything is changing. I’m ready. I don’t know what the future of performing for a living is. I’m happy to learn how to do urban farming, keep bees and provide mutual aid to people in our community. I sing, but I’m not owed performances. I will adapt however I need to.” My partner smiled, kissed me on the head and held me tighter. It wasn’t the first bedtime soliloquy they’ve heard. My heart felt open. Change was good. It’s important to remember you can do it at any time.

I’ve been touring and playing music in venues since 1998. It’s always been a perilous endeavour for both the body and the heart and the finances are worse. I love it more than it’s ever been difficult. The gig economy has been my way of life since I was eighteen-years old. It never occurred to me that I should become something else, especially because finding respect as a trans person at a workplace seemed much more gruelling.

The next morning, I was on the phone with Westjet Airline to try to cancel the many future flights I wouldn’t be on. I was canceling a tour of the UK, many Canadian dates in May and a European tour in June. I saw a call from an unknown number come in and I muted it. There was a voice mail message. I…