Yes, TransVitae.com has ads. Google AdSense runs on the site, and some graphics come from Adobe’s design tools. Every word you read is written by a human being, and that human being is me.
I am the founder, editor, and primary writer behind this website. What you see here is not a content mill or a quick cash grab. It is the product of two decades of experience building and managing websites, plus a lifetime of writing. I am also a published author.
TransVitae began a year after I started my transition. I wanted to create a site that answered the same questions I once had, combining research, honesty, and accessibility. It has grown into something bigger, a living archive of information, reflection, and advocacy.
The Reality Behind the Screen
Every article here is written or edited by me unless otherwise credited. I spend my nights, weekends, and early mornings writing for TransVitae. This is my form of journaling and my way of contributing something meaningful to the community.
A few writers have contributed content or ideas along the way. They believed in what I was building and offered their work because they wanted to help. I wish I could pay them, and I plan to when the site finally turns a profit. Until then, every dollar goes right back into hosting, domain renewals, security, and software. Even with ads, TransVitae still operates at a loss.
Once, a reader submitted an article that I later discovered had copied content from another trans journalist. It was removed immediately, and that contributor was told not to send more work. It was a hard lesson about maintaining standards, but that is part of running a real publication.
Transparency matters, and this is mine.
About the Ads
Yes, there are ads. They are simple AdSense placements designed to help keep the lights on. They cover part of the cost of running this website, and that is it.
Hosting, bandwidth, backups, and design tools all cost money. Pretending otherwise is dishonest. People love to say “just write for the love of it” until they see the server bill.
Running ads does not make a publication unethical. It makes it sustainable. If a trans creator uses AdSense, it is called a grift. When a corporate outlet does it, it is called business. The double standard is ridiculous.
Calling Out the “Journalists”
Some self-proclaimed journalists sneer at TransVitae for having ads, then spend half their social posts begging for donations. Every thread, every newsletter, and every pinned tweet ends with “support independent media” and a tip jar link.
Here is the difference. I do not guilt readers into paying me. I let them read for free, supported by modest ad revenue that does not even cover monthly expenses.
If you are going to criticize ads while constantly asking for donations, at least admit what it is: funding. Everyone needs a way to pay the bills. I just choose transparency over performative poverty.
The truth is, ads are not the problem. Hypocrisy is.
This is What DIY Journalism Looks Like
TransVitae is a one-person newsroom. When I publish a story about legislation, health, or research, it is because I have spent hours reading source materials and verifying information. I use secondary reporting the same way every independent outlet does: responsibly.
I do not have the budget to fly to press conferences or hire editors. I do it myself, starting at 3 AM, after work, before bed, and during lunch breaks. That is not laziness. That is dedication.
When someone says “AI slop,” what they usually mean is “this looks too professional for one person.” That is fine. I will take “too professional” over “barely trying” any day.
Contributors and Accountability
A handful of writers have submitted pieces, and I have appreciated their efforts. I have always been upfront about wanting to pay contributors when the site can afford it. Until then, they share their voices because they believe in what TransVitae stands for.
That said, I take responsibility for everything that appears here. When that plagiarized article slipped through, I owned it, removed it, and made sure it would not happen again. That is what real accountability looks like.
Transparency is a Promise
There is no secret funding, no investors, and no corporate parent. TransVitae is self-funded. It is built by hand and powered by purpose.
The paywall exists only to protect adult content that is not appropriate for minors or casual visitors. It is not there to squeeze readers. It is a barrier to keep conversations about intimacy and body image away from bad-faith actors who love to weaponize them.
Everything else, from the news and health to the lifestyle stories, is free. Always has been.
Why I Keep Doing This
I have been banned from multiple trans subreddits for sharing my own work. Apparently, it is fine to repost stories from cisgender journalists who barely understand the topic, but not fine for a trans woman to link her own. The irony does not escape me.
I keep writing because readers keep reading. Every message I get from someone who says an article helped them feel seen or understood makes the long nights worth it. I keep going because this site fills a void.
If I stop, that void reopens.
Bad Faith is the Real Enemy
Constructive criticism is welcome. I have been doing this long enough to know not everyone will agree with me. But bad faith attacks that exist purely to discredit trans creators are not activism; they are sabotage.
If you do not like how TransVitae operates, create your own site. Buy your own domain. Pay for hosting. Write your own content. Then you will understand the time, money, and work it takes to make something sustainable.
This is not about perfection. It is about persistence.
On Using AI Tools
Yes, I use Adobe’s AI features when creating images. They help visualize concepts that do not exist in stock photography. The technology is a tool, no different than a camera, a paintbrush, or a spell-check program.
The words, thoughts, and opinions remain mine. Always. If the background of an image offends someone more than the content of the article itself, that says more about them than about me.
I use what is available because I refuse to let limited resources stop me from producing professional work.
Representation Through Creation
Representation is not just seeing trans people in stories written by others. It is seeing trans people telling those stories ourselves.
That is what TransVitae is: representation through creation. It is one trans woman building a professional, informed platform that speaks with authenticity. I do not sanitize my tone, soften my opinions, or write for approval. I write to inform and empower.
Trans readers deserve more than pity pieces and performative allyship. We deserve professional, passionate, fact-based reporting created by people who actually live this experience.
The Double Standard
When a cis man builds a monetized website, he is an entrepreneur. When a trans woman does it, she is profiting off the community. It is a tired, transparent double standard.
Trans creators are told to share but not succeed. To be visible, but not too visible. To educate, but not to profit. It is a convenient way to keep our voices small.
I am not here to play small. I am here to build something lasting, even if that means running ads, using every tool available, and ignoring the purity tests of internet critics.
The Future of TransVitae
TransVitae is not going anywhere. The site will keep expanding into new topics, from politics and health to travel and entertainment. I plan to feature more writers as soon as I can pay them fairly.
The goal is growth, not greed. To make that happen, sustainability has to come first. Ads, membership options, and transparency make that possible.
There is no illusion of perfection here, just steady progress.
The Bottom Line
This site is not a cash grab. It is a labor of love built on real work. Every word, every edit, and every layout comes from one person who cares deeply about representation, education, and truth.
So yes, there are ads. Yes, I use modern tools. Yes, sometimes I accept contributions. And yes, this site still costs more to run than it earns.
If that makes TransVitae a grift, then I am the most unsuccessful grifter in history.
The truth is simpler. TransVitae exists because it needs to. Because someone had to build it. Because our stories deserve a space that does not apologize for existing.
Unfiltered. Human. Determined.
Welcome to TransVitae.
