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Missouri Health Talks

Gender affirming care would 'prevent any possible future breast cancer chances since I'm high risk.'

By Producer: Rebecca Smith, Reporter: Bailey Stover
Published January 2, 2025 at 3:11 PM CST
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Cosmo Evans sits on their couch on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. Evans, a neurodivergent, nonbinary, intersex disabled Army veteran, grew up in a small, conservative, rural Missouri town in the mid-90s. “I remember growing up and like seeing the women's rights rallies—and seeing other gay protests and seeing how far they had come—and then seeing so many bills go through to support gay people and women. And then all of a sudden now we're losing all of these rights that we had worked so hard for, for gays and women. And, like, what is happening? I feel like there's so much history repeating itself right now. It's really scary,” Evans said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they explored their queerness and began embracing their nonbinary identity. Although Evans’ mother passed away more than a decade ago, they said she had long been their fierce supporter, and they speculated on what their mom’s reaction would have been to their coming out. “She would either be so excited that I'm gay, or she'd be so disappointed that I did not marry a doctor because I remember her always telling me, ‘I want you to marry a doctor,’” Evans said. “I also think that she would be just so elated that I'm gay, that that's what I truly feel like she would be.”
Bailey Stover
Cosmo Evans sits on their couch on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. Evans, a neurodivergent, nonbinary, intersex disabled Army veteran, grew up in a small, conservative, rural Missouri town in the mid-90s. “I remember growing up and like seeing the women's rights rallies—and seeing other gay protests and seeing how far they had come—and then seeing so many bills go through to support gay people and women. And then all of a sudden now we're losing all of these rights that we had worked so hard for, for gays and women. And, like, what is happening? I feel like there's so much history repeating itself right now. It's really scary,” Evans said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they explored their queerness and began embracing their nonbinary identity. Although Evans’ mother passed away more than a decade ago, they said she had long been their fierce supporter, and they speculated on what their mom’s reaction would have been to their coming out. “She would either be so excited that I'm gay, or she'd be so disappointed that I did not marry a doctor because I remember her always telling me, ‘I want you to marry a doctor,’” Evans said. “I also think that she would be just so elated that I'm gay, that that's what I truly feel like she would be.”

Cosmo Evans is a disabled veteran who’s nonbinary and intersex. They spoke about their access to medical care that both affirms their gender and benefits their physical health.

Missouri Health Talks gathers Missourians’ stories of access to healthcare in their own words.

Cosmo Evans: The first time I've ever got into a plane was when I went to basic training, and then just seeing those straight brim hats when I got off the bus – I cried.

I was the first one to have to do push-ups because for some reason, they – just my last name is so simple. “Evans.” But when they were calling off the names on the first day, they decided to pronounce my name “Evons.”

So, I was like, “It's Evans, Drill Sergeant.” Why I corrected them? I'll never know.

Laughter

So, they dropped me right in front of everyone and I stood out from day one. I was known as the crybaby. But I did everything with tears in my eyes – I still did it all.

I got ate up by fire ants out in the field at the end of basic, but I did not move an inch while I got ate up, and I earned a lot of respect from the drill sergeants that day.

So, it wasn't the worst, but it was it was tough.

If it wasn't for the military, I wouldn't have gotten to see like Germany, Kosovo, Ireland, Greece.

Got my best friend, Joby. He is the reason I moved to Columbia. And just a lot of great people.

Cosmo Evans sits on their couch on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. Evans, a neurodivergent, nonbinary, intersex disabled Army veteran, grew up in a small, conservative, rural Missouri town in the mid-90s. “I remember growing up and like seeing the women's rights rallies—and seeing other gay protests and seeing how far they had come—and then seeing so many bills go through to support gay people and women. And then all of a sudden now we're losing all of these rights that we had worked so hard for, for gays and women. And, like, what is happening? I feel like there's so much history repeating itself right now. It's really scary,” Evans said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they explored their queerness and began embracing their nonbinary identity. Although Evans’ mother passed away more than a decade ago, they said she had long been their fierce supporter, and they speculated on what their mom’s reaction would have been to their coming out. “She would either be so excited that I'm gay, or she'd be so disappointed that I did not marry a doctor because I remember her always telling me, ‘I want you to marry a doctor,’” Evans said. “I also think that she would be just so elated that I'm gay, that that's what I truly feel like she would be.”
KBIA News
Cosmo Evans: "My mom... opened my mind up to the fact that there were intersex people."
Bailey Stover
Cosmo Evans grew up in a small town and are nonbinary and intersex. They’ve known they were intersex since childhood but didn’t really explore the nonbinary side of their identity until lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. They spoke about what it was like growing up in rural Missouri in the 1990s.

I randomly got diagnosed with epilepsy while I was deployed – or when I got home from deployment. Then had to have brain surgery.

The VA has helped me a bunch. I have a great doctor there.

They have their own issues with like, you know, not always, like, being super, super supportive of trans stuff.

They're doing better, but like they don't support like the surgeries and stuff like that.

Like I want to get top surgery, and it would help like prevent breast cancer because my mom, grandma, and great grandma passed from breast cancer.

And my doctor has been trying to push that for me, but the VA hasn't supported it, but she has been awesome, and she really listens.

I looked into getting testosterone because I thought I wanted that for my gender affirming care. Then my endocrinologist said that he did not “believe in nonbinary people.”

 Laughter

I'm okay with not having testosterone because they did check my hormones and I'm good on that, but, um, I was not okay with him saying he didn't “believe in nonbinary people.” So, that was fun.

I do love that my doctor and the gynecologist pushed to help me get the endometrial ablation, so I don't have to have periods anymore. That has been gender affirming.

Then just getting top surgery would be gender affirming. And it would just help prevent any possible future breast cancer chances since I'm high risk. So, you know – two birds, one stone.

This piece is produced in collaboration with Alphabet Soup, KBIA's project focused on the experiences of Missouri's LGBTQ+ community.

Tags
Missouri Health Talks Top StoriesveteransDisabilitiesbreast cancerLGBTQIA+lgbt health
Rebecca Smith
Rebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life.
See stories by Rebecca Smith
Bailey Stover
Bailey Stover is a multimedia journalist who graduated in May 2024. She is the creator and voice of "Alphabet Soup," which runs weekly on KBIA.
See stories by Bailey Stover