Help My Cousin Rebuild After Being Rejected For Being Gay

Hi, my name is Johana and I’m creating this campaign on behalf of someone I love deeply—my cousin Aaron, a bright, kind, resilient 27-year-old who lives in Israel.

Being gay in the Middle East is not easy. While being gay is mostly accepted in Israel, in majority of religious circles and the Middle East as a whole, it’s not just misunderstood—it’s punished, denied, and deeply rejected. In 2019, Aaron came out to his parents, hoping for love and acceptance. Instead, he was met with heartbreak. His parents kicked him out of the house. He spent months sleeping wherever he could, relying on the military barracks just to have a roof over his head.

He did what many of us would never have to even consider: he went back into the closet, just to survive.

When I visited Israel recently, I sat down with his mother—my aunt—hoping that time had softened her stance. I asked if she would ever accept her son’s truth. Her answer broke my heart. She said that if Aaron chose to live authentically—if he “chose” to marry a man or have children—she would cut him off permanently. She told me, without hesitation, that she would never meet her future grandchildren.

I don’t share this lightly.

I share it because Aaron, like so many LGBTQ+ people around the world, is being punished simply for existing. And despite everything, he’s still standing. He works hard, shows up every day with kindness and grace, and tries to build a life that feels like home.

But he’s struggling. When he was kicked out and on his own, he made financial decisions out of survival—taking on a balloon loan to buy a car when he had no guidance or support. That loan has snowballed into a crippling amount of debt: almost 52,000 shekels (~$15,000 USD). His bank account is frozen. He’s drowning and still trying to hold it all together.

I’m asking for your help—not just to ease a financial burden, but to affirm something bigger: that Aaron is not alone. That chosen family, community, and love can rise up where blood has failed.

Every contribution, big or small, helps him move toward stability and independence. It’s a vote of confidence in who he is and the life he’s fighting to build. If you’re not in a place to give, sharing this campaign also means the world.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping my cousin know that love doesn’t have to come with conditions.

With all my heart,


Johana