Ash Davidson: Creating Space for LGBTQIA+ People to Be Seen

— By Megan Brown, ABCD Marketing Manager

June 24, 2026

Growing up in the Midwestern college town of Bloomington, Indiana, Ash Davidson (he/they) describes himself as “identifiably queer” from an early age. He had supportive parents who encouraged him to follow his own path, even when they didn’t always fully understand it.

But the path that led Ash to pursue cancer advocacy for LGBTQIA+ people began in 2022 when he underwent gender-affirming top surgery. Eleven days later, he learned that cancer had been discovered in tissue that was removed. This news came after Ash had undergone a mammogram and follow-up ultrasound months earlier and had been told everything looked clear.

“Having breast/chest cancer felt so far from any possibility that I couldn’t really fathom it,” he says. “I couldn’t process it.”

What he remembers most from those first days isn’t the details of appointments or treatment plans. It’s the feeling of wanting the diagnosis not to be real.

“I didn’t want to tell anybody,” Ash says. “I think it was because if I started to tell people, then it would be true.”

Navigating Cancer Care as a Trans Person

Despite Ash’s diagnosis, the circumstances surrounding it provided something invaluable: access to an affirming healthcare team. Because the cancer was discovered during gender-affirming care, his top surgeon was able to refer him directly to trusted oncology specialists who would treat him with dignity and respect.

“I had this fully vetted cancer team and I didn’t have to worry about whether the people in those offices would treat me well, which is not common for a lot of people that are trans or part of the LGBTQIA+ umbrella,” Ash says.

Ultimately, this underscores how important gender-affirming care is. “For so many who have medical mistrust and the fear of traditional healthcare settings, if you get into gender-affirming care, then it opens the door for all sorts of other care. And it means that your gender-affirming care provider, whether you have cancer or not, can help with vetting other types of care that you need,” Ash explains. “It’s all intertwined and connected.”

While Ash’s direct care team created a safe and affirming environment, breast/chest cancer treatment as a trans person came with unique challenges. Ash recalls being repeatedly misgendered during certain treatment appointments and feeling hyperaware of his safety in public healthcare settings.

“I started to develop this fear of what if somebody follows me out to the parking lot after chemo and verbally or physically assaults me?” he says. “I’m carrying that around when I should just be trying to go home and take a nap.”

He also acknowledges the difficulty of going from gender-affirming top surgery to his first appointment at his breast surgeon’s office. “It was like, wait, what world am I living in right now? I went from starting this gender transition to now everything’s pink and about breasts.”

In addition, Ash struggled to find resources and stories that reflected his identity as a trans person. “Not being able to access resources or find stories from people who looked or sounded like me was really isolating,” he says. “It had a profound effect on my mental health.”

Becoming an Advocate

Ash’s entry into advocacy grew out of a simple search for help. After being laid off while finishing treatment, he found himself overwhelmed, suddenly uninsured, and looking for answers. He began reaching out to cancer organizations through social media, hoping to find resources that could help him navigate his diagnosis.

“I shared that I needed help and resources. I was drowning in this diagnosis and I didn’t know what to do,” he says.

Instead, organizations began responding to his story. People wanted to learn more about his experience as a trans person diagnosed with breast/chest cancer. Conversations turned into speaking opportunities, including his first advocacy presentation through the LGBTQIA+ Cancer Network.

Now Ash serves as a Project Manager with the Cancer Network, helping advance education, awareness, and support for LGBTQIA+ people impacted by cancer. “The Cancer Network gave me a place to learn about advocacy,” he says. “It gave me a safe space and groundwork to build from.”

The role also allows him to bring his full self to work every day. “My cancer story, my gender identity, all of those things are not only welcome—they’re celebrated,” he says. “I get to show up as the entirety of myself.”

Finding Another Home at ABCD

Ash first connected with ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis at cancer conferences, meeting staff members and learning more about the organization’s personalized approach to peer support. What stood out most was ABCD’s commitment to creating meaningful matches based on shared lived experiences.

“I thought ABCD had already shown a true dedication to queer folks. It didn’t seem like lip service,” he says.

He later joined ABCD’s Male Mentor Training, seeing it as an opportunity both to give back and to help expand support for LGBTQIA+ people impacted by breast/chest cancer. “Mentorship is important to me. It’s not patient navigation, therapy, or support groups. It’s having somebody who’s walked in your shoes help guide you through these things in both a formal and informal way,” he emphasizes.

This is exactly why becoming an ABCD Mentor has deep personal meaning for Ash. “If there’s anything I’ve learned going through this process that could ease any amount of someone else’s burden, I want to be there and do that every single time,” he says.

Building Visibility Through Transcer

Seeing how few resources existed that reflected his experience led Ash to create Transcer, a platform dedicated to sharing his perspective as a trans person navigating cancer.

At its core, Transcer is about visibility. Through storytelling and advocacy, Ash hopes to ensure future patients have an easier time finding community, information, and reassurance.

“I don’t want people to have to go through what I went through,” he says. “It was so demoralizing, scary, and just so unnecessary.”

Creating More Inclusive Support

Recently, Ash partnered with ABCD to lead a LEAP webinar focused on supporting LGBTQIA+ people through breast/chest cancer mentorship. Ash shared practical strategies for creating more affirming support environments and led a panel discussion featuring several LGBTQIA+ ABCD Mentors that sparked great conversation. Watch the recording here.

The LEAP webinar also built momentum for ABCD’s first dedicated LGBTQIA+ New Mentor Training that Ash helped facilitate. For Ash, this collaboration reflects the heart of his advocacy work. “If I had to boil down why I’m doing advocacy, it’s that we carve out more true queer spaces for people,” he says.

When it comes to addressing the challenges facing LGBTQIA+ cancer patients, visibility and tailored peer support truly matters.

“It’s exhausting coming out again every time you meet a new provider and explaining yourself constantly to people. Having affirming peer support, somebody you don’t have to come out to or explain why that’s exhausting is one touchpoint where you can take all that pressure off and just breathe and be yourself,” Ash says.

Today, Ash finds joy in exploring the world, whether that means skydiving, shark diving, taking bike rides, or spending time with his beloved dog, Lou. By sharing his story, mentoring others, and advocating for more inclusive and gender-affirming cancer care, Ash is helping LGBTQIA+ people feel seen, understood, and supported when they need it most.

In 2022 at the age of 42, Ash Davidson was diagnosed with Stage 1 ER+ PR- HER2- invasive ductal carcinoma. His cancer was found in tissue removed during his gender-affirming top surgery, and his treatment included chemotherapy and radiation.