Help an Autist Transfem Escape Phobic Family, Pursue College
Donation protected
I am Rajkumar Devjani, a citizen of the Netherlands. This campaign is for the benefit of an Indian friend, on whose behalf this campaign is being hosted. The amount collected would reach her personal bank account. The testimony of her situation is provided below in her own words:
Hello everyone,
I am Josie— that's what I like my friends to call me, although my legal name is Anubhav Monga. I am a woman, despite legal records designating me a man. I am from Ludhiana, Punjab, an industrial town famous for its textile industry. Besides textile factories and gated enclaves and malls, it does not have much else to offer, not even a public library.
I am an academic writer, with my research work in cybernetics and modelling epistemology published in some international peer-reviewed journals, which are linked below if you are curious:
Besides this, I do freelance ghost writing. Needless to say, I do not have a steady source of income or any employment benefits. I live with my parents, who are transphobic and queerphobic. My mother finds my queer friends repulsive. If it were to come out to my father, their "son" wishes to live as a woman, I fear for my life. He has in the past, forced me to cut off my hair when I was trying to grow it out to be more feminine, with threats of kicking me out of the house. I did end up shaving off my head entirely in protest. Supporting images have been attached.
In the past I have taken up jobs in the informal sector, which is where most of the jobs are available around here. Within a few months this work burnt me out completely and led me to discover that I am in fact, not "normal" the way my brother is. After some sessions with a psychologist, I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism which hinders my ability to consistently direct my energy towards the kind of ambiguous and alienated socialization informal employment demands. This has led my parents and relatives to regard me as one of their formerly bright children who has become "useless" to them since I cannot earn them the figures they want me to.
This is not through lack of trying. I have been working on my bachelors degree in Psychology from Indira Gandhi National Open University. Over the past year I have been able, through work and my friends’ generosity, to earn enough funds to apply to German universities for my Masters degree, apply for getting my documents certified by the German embassy, and even purchase plane tickets etc. to leave India for better prospects in Europe where I can find better space for my academic work as well a queer community which will support my transition.
One of the reasons I’m pursuing this so hard is because once I leave India and can come out as trans, I may finally have a social life among people like me. In order to qualify for the necessary visa, I need to demonstrate that I have enough resources to support myself by to having €11,904 in a frozen bank account to show to the visa officers in the form of a bank loan or support of a relative.
I have been very hopeful about my pursuits because I have my published work and letter of recommendation from renowned academic Jason Mohaghegh to speak for me. And my Bachelor’s degree was nearing its end as well.
But just a few days ago, my dreams came crashing down. I cannot, it turns out, apply for a Masters in Germany, for which I had already spent €200 to get my certificates verified and an additional €140 to apply to universities. Why? Well, it turns out the Indian university (IGNOU) where I had been doing my Bachelors, which was accredited by Indian govt body UGC, lost its accreditation after my first year of the Bachelors course. Here is a news article which explains the matter:
I have been explicitly informed by uni-assist, German body which processes all international university applications, that I cannot apply for a Masters in Germany. Either I will have to do another Bachelors as a 2nd year transfer student or look somewhere else. The document by uni-assist is provided here as proof: https://pdflink.to/36f666cd/
But I have decided to go ahead with the given circumstances and do a Bachelors all over again in Germany. Many western countries, such as US, UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, are prohibitively expensive to study in. Other European countries such as Austria, Norway, and Finland do not have many higher institutions which offer a Masters in cognitive science or neuroscience. Greece and Spain have similar verification processes as Germany and would reject my degree. Since public universities in Germany offer free tuition, it may be my best shot.
Now, the issue I need your help with is that it would be very hard for me to get a loan for a second Bachelors degree abroad from a bank. And if my parents find out that I am planning on doing Bachelors all over again, it would be a near certainty in their minds that I am no good and they should cut me off entirely. I am very scared about my future prospects.
I need your help to collect funds to support my higher education and secure my future. I specifically need €11, 904 as the minimum amount to demonstrate to the visa officers at the German Embassy that I can support myself during my stay. Follow the link to read more about this requirement:
This is explicit policy of German immigration. However, if I can even partially complete this campaign, it would be significantly easier for me to persuade my relatives to cover the gap. So whatever amount can be spared would be received with a lot of gratitude.
As further evidence of my identity and my academic work, I have attached some certificates I have earned over the years below:
Thank you so much for all of your support!
Organizer
Rajkumar Devjani
Organizer
Eindhoven