Blake & Liam's Move to Germany

Dear friends and family, we are heartbroken that we have to make this fundraiser, but we have decided our best chance at a stable and fulfilling life lies overseas in Germany.

This decision has been immensely difficult after working hard on Liam's immigration from Germany to the U.S. in hopes of building a life here in Baltimore. Unfortunately, circumstances have made it impossible for us to live safely here as a trans couple.

I, Blake, was born in Michigan, and lived for most of my life in Houston, TX where I met my amazing wonderful husband. I moved up to Baltimore at the start of the covid-19 pandemic to live with Liam and have been working and finding community in the restaurant industry. I started transitioning in 2016 and found Houston to be an amazing place to begin this journey, and Baltimore has been just as loving with the added benefit of world class transition healthcare. I feel blessed to have had gender affirming surgery in 2023 with an incredible surgeon here in Baltimore and the community here was invaluable during my recovery. I feel so sad to leave this place that I have called home for 5 years, but I'm hopeful for our life together in Germany.

My husband Liam is from Emden, Germany, and came to the U.S. in 2015 and we met a year later. He came out as trans at the same time as me and it was so special to share the experience with each other. It feels as if we've known each other our whole lives, and in a way we have. He studied at MICA here in Baltimore to pursue a bachelor's in fine arts, and graduated in with a concentration in printmaking and book arts. We married during his last semester and began the immigration process, during which he kept busy volunteering at The Book Thing of Baltimore, writing a novel, and filling our home with his art, and beautiful antique furniture and decor.

The decision for us to move has been unexpected, and the financial burden to uproot our life and start over in a country where I don't speak the language is a challenge that we haven't been able to prepare for.

Your contribution will go towards the following:

Thank you all for your support during this difficult time in our lives. We are devastated to leave our home, our community, our friends and family, and our pets (2 birds, Monty and Beatrice, and 4 rats, Costeau, Ambrosius, Dismas, and Paracelsus).

Every dollar helps us build our future together in Germany where we can live in peace and hopefully start a family of our own.