Help Grier with Court Costs!!

Hey y'all -- my name is Grier & I'm a queer transmasc person living in rural West Virginia. I've started this fundraiser to help raise court costs and legal fees due to LGBTQ discrimination.

While I love my home, the state I'm residing in isn't particularly kind to folks on the LGBTQ spectrum, including in terms of health, housing, employment opportunities and police interactions. Last month after losing my car keys at a swimming hole, I tried to hitch hike the 20 minutes back to my house. As I wasn't prepared to particularly engage with any strangers that day, I was dressed *very very* gay in short shorts and a pink cropped tank top. Needless to say, it didn't take the cops very long to show up. Initially I was told that I was going to be fined for obstructing the road way before the cop decided to take the matter before a county magistrate. They let me go and I ended up walking over 7 miles of windy country roads in the dark back to my house.

I figured if I heard from the courts at all, it would be just a ticket in the mail. However, about a week later around 9pm, two deputies showed up at my house with a warrant for my arrest.

I spent the night in the county jail during which I had to out myself as trans because I needed tampons (ugh!). My bond was set at $1,500 which my housemate thankfully paid and I was released the next day.

I'm currently facing two misdemeanor charges and a maximum of a year in jail. While I don't believe I'll receive jail time, I really have no idea and hope that I'm not going to be used as an example by the court due to my gender identity and obvious homosexuality. I firmly believe that this situation arose because of anti-gay discrimination. My court date is set for early October and I'm trying to raise money for a private criminal attorney and any possible fines I may incur. I'm also not sure if this first court date will be the sole appearance or if I'm facing more court dates.

It's hard not to feel like I was targeted because of my clothes and appearance, but being pulled over and ultimately arrested feels extreme for just trying to hitch hike. Due to this fear, I really want to make sure I get a fair attorney who will actually look out for my best interests. I'm aiming to raise between $3,000 to $4,000 in the event of a worst case scenario. These funds will go both towards a lawyer and any residual court fees.

TLDR: Keep my gay ass out of jail and cops suck!