My name is Katie. I am a white straight cis woman. *This fundraiser is not for me.*

I enjoy many privileges due to my skin color, gender, etc.... Privileges that I have not earned, nor asked for. These are privileges that society has deemed I deserve. And I think that is pretty fucked.

I live in the beautiful state of Montana. A state that has been reducing, rather than improving and strengthening, the rights and privileges of many in this state, including trans folks. And in Billings where I consider home, I have many friends who are trans and who are afraid to exist and move around freely here in their own bodies, as themselves.

And this is not right. It is utterly painful to watch, see and know this, and to feel like there is nothing I can do (at least immediately) to change that daily, torturous and certainly unfair reality for them.

But I have been personally asked by one of these friends if I could help them. And of course I agreed. Here is their story..... Thank you for listening, for sharing, and if you are able, for donating (whatever you are able to):

I’m a local trans man and my partner is a ​Native ​(Indigenous) college student. He was unemployed for 3 months but now we both work full time, but each make only $16 an hour​. ​Due to debt from an old car accident​, my wages are garnished down to minimum wage​ ($10.55/hr). ​

This year, c​ountless people in the US ​have been declaring bankruptcy, including me, but ​t​his means th​at paperwork ​and applications are taking ages longer than ​t​hey normally should to go through the system​ to be reviewed and processed.

My partner ​recently had to take time off work to recover from a​n emergently necessary surgery, and ​to compound everything now also h​as car repairs. We have fallen far behind on rent and other bills just to keep food on the table for us, our cat, and our dog. I wish I could give a specific time frame for when I can get myself caught up but it’s wading through mud with this economy. We’ve been borrowing money from my partner’s mom and we now owe her lots too.

All in all, the car repair is going to cost $800, and he owes $400 on its insurance;

I owe $800 in back pay to my landlord;

And we’ve borrowed $1000 from his mom to catch up on Bills.

We have no savings​, and to be honest we’re trying so hard to save our pennies so we can move to a city with better jobs and​ which support​s marginalized people​ better than where we live now. It’s really hard asking for help regardless, because everyone I know is struggling too.

T​hank you for considering and offering what you can.