Hello, my name is Hazel (they/them). My wife (she/they) and I, both trans non-binary, Autistic lesbians, have faced an incredibly challenging journey over the past year. In 2023, we fled domestic violence inflicted upon us by two past partners of ours - who were our roommates well after our respective breakups with them (until 2023); they were still our roommates, against our wishes, our circumstances made it hard to leave.

Our abusive exes basically resent that my wife and I are lesbians and expressed as much to us. It's very hard to for us to discuss this disturbing treatment they subjected us: it’s incredibly triggering (even for anyone reading this, it's very heavy to take in, so we've been afraid to share because of this). Our abusive exes were also both incredibly ableist towards us and made incessant pointed derogatory comments about both of our gender expressions and sexuality in order to try to make us feel terrible about ourselves, and they also sexually harassed and abused us in acts of rejection based violence. This all led to a cascade of hardships that we are still struggling to overcome.

This incredibly traumatic experience forced us to relocate suddenly for our safety, and we lost both of our jobs. Even though my wife's job was remote, they discriminated against her for needing a few days off to pack our stuff and leave (despite her work policy outlining otherwise). We had to wait until our abusers were at work to pack anything we could and quickly flee. There are precious items we had to leave behind and it was beyond devastating. Neither my wife nor I have support of any kind or relationships with our biological parents anymore.

The experience of fleeing was very unforgiving on our bodies, as we’re both disabled and our symptoms have worsened severely in the past year. There were points when I couldn't access essential medication for my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, too, and this was becoming very dangerous as it became hard to breathe and sleep for months due lack of access to medication and the subsequent swelling of my thyroid.

Our abusive exes' retaliation against us - as individuals and as a couple - had escalated once my wife and I got engaged in 2023. They were both aware that my wife and I were making plans to find our own apartment (without them) in the near future. This lead to them both threatening us in various ways. The escalation of our exes' violence exhibited itself in multiple forms of threats and abuse, which necessitated us to leave immediately - meaning that we both lost our jobs and income suddenly, and lost precious belongings.

Since then, my wife and I have had to relocate a total of nine times to find safety, where our abusers cannot locate us, sometimes living in hotel rooms or out of our car—only to face: more severe housing insecurity, employment discrimination, and medical discrimination at every turn.

There have been a plethora of gross opportunists since, who have felt empowered to intimidate and abuse us while we’re in a vulnerable position, including but not limited to, abusive landlords.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story and for any support you can provide. Your generosity will help us rebuild our lives and reach the stability and security we so desperately need. We are still hopeful for a peaceful life together, so anything you can give means so much to us.

With gratitude,

Hazel