Help Dera Stay in Berlin
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Dera Luce (he/they) is a Black, trans writer living in Berlin. In May 2020 he left his programming job at a Berlin tech company. He had worked there for over 1.5 years but was exhausted from months of being denied support from his employers around the intense burnout he had developed while navigating hostile workplace conditions. Dera was able to live off of unemployment insurance for a while, but that income ended in January. He has a visa appointment on March 16 and needs funds to be able to secure that visa and remain in the country.
For over a year, Dera was in conversation with his employers about how he was feeling unsupported in the workplace. He was stuck in a trainee position and pay-grade while doing the work of someone at a much higher level, and his feedback and suggestions to management—as well as some of his actual work—were consistently ignored. We find it important to name that these behaviours and others that we aren’t even getting into are examples of anti-Blackness being enacted in the workplace and as such, take a great toll.
The mental burdens at work eventually resulted in physical ailments such as acid reflux (it became so severe that they had to sleep sitting up), shortness of breath, and a panic attack that sent him to the hospital. Dera also had unexplainable joint and limb pain for months that we suspect is related to inflammation from the chronic stress of that job. Burnout also aggravated symptoms of a non-work-related health issue that he was already dealing with. Despite repeated communications around these issues, Dera’s employers at the time refused to accommodate his needs to support his wellness. He consulted with his doctor and ended up taking medical leave. It helped a little, but upon returning to work afterwards and asking clearly for what they needed, they were met only with dismissal and gaslighting.
When things didn’t get better, Dera’s doctor counseled him to consider leaving his job. The doctor felt that the physical and mental symptoms he had developed would only continue and worsen as long as he remained in this environment. Dera tried one last time to work with management to improve conditions, but his employers were uncooperative and refused to make the necessary accommodations. He ended up agreeing with his doctor and leaving his job. Partly because of concerns of retaliation and partly because they’re still exhausted and traumatized, Dera is hesitant to share details of what happened at work. He is still trying to process and heal from this experience. Leaving a job in a pandemic was both a difficult and necessary decision.
Dera was given eight months of income from unemployment insurance, effective from the time he left until January 14, 2021. The plan was for Dera to use the eight months to heal from burnout as much as he could in that period (burnout usually has a longer recovery time) and to establish other means of income as a freelancer and writer. It didn’t exactly work out that way. As expected, recovering from burnout during a pandemic is quite challenging.
Dera had an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde in May 2020 to get a visa/permit to work as a freelancer, but due to the pandemic and related regulations, this appointment was canceled. Then in June 2020 a huge uprising for Black lives and thousands of protests against police violence towards Black people started happening in the US, the country where Dera grew up. In so many different ways, this was a very traumatic period for Dera and other Black people. Huge waves of temporary support and lip service swelled at this time, only to die down again a few months later when supporting Black lives was no longer a trending topic. And of course, the pandemic raged on.
Dera was finally given an appointment to apply for a freelance visa on March 16, 2021. In order to get approved for the visa, they need to show sufficient funds in savings and be able to pay rent, buy groceries, pay for health insurance and survive in the meantime and until they can start making money as a freelancer. Dera left the USA three years ago for a reason, and it’s imperative for his health and wellbeing that he be able to remain here in Berlin. This is where Dera’s life and future is.
We are raising €8000 to support Dera’s livelihood and survival for the next 4 months. This will allow them to continue to make rent, feed themselves and pay their utilities and insurances and continue to access gender and life-affirming HRT. €8,000 will go towards basic living expenses while he is waiting for this appointment and for a month or two afterwards before his income as a freelancer starts coming in.
Over this time, Dera has been working on his debut novel, a Young Adult Sci-fi Fantasy book written first and foremost with the young, queer, Black reader in mind. Provisionally titled #Astrogeomagic, this is work the world needs and is hungry for! It is life-saving and life-affirming, not only for Dera but also for the queer, trans, Black youth for whom it’s being written. Your support of this campaign will not only help Dera stay alive and in the country but will also go towards bringing this necessary work to life. If you’d like to make a sustained contribution towards #Astrogeomagic, you can also become a Patron of Dera’s work on Patreon and get regular updates and rewards in exchange for your contribution.
If you're unable to donate via GoFundMe, you can also use:
Paypal -
Venmo -
For over a year, Dera was in conversation with his employers about how he was feeling unsupported in the workplace. He was stuck in a trainee position and pay-grade while doing the work of someone at a much higher level, and his feedback and suggestions to management—as well as some of his actual work—were consistently ignored. We find it important to name that these behaviours and others that we aren’t even getting into are examples of anti-Blackness being enacted in the workplace and as such, take a great toll.
The mental burdens at work eventually resulted in physical ailments such as acid reflux (it became so severe that they had to sleep sitting up), shortness of breath, and a panic attack that sent him to the hospital. Dera also had unexplainable joint and limb pain for months that we suspect is related to inflammation from the chronic stress of that job. Burnout also aggravated symptoms of a non-work-related health issue that he was already dealing with. Despite repeated communications around these issues, Dera’s employers at the time refused to accommodate his needs to support his wellness. He consulted with his doctor and ended up taking medical leave. It helped a little, but upon returning to work afterwards and asking clearly for what they needed, they were met only with dismissal and gaslighting.
When things didn’t get better, Dera’s doctor counseled him to consider leaving his job. The doctor felt that the physical and mental symptoms he had developed would only continue and worsen as long as he remained in this environment. Dera tried one last time to work with management to improve conditions, but his employers were uncooperative and refused to make the necessary accommodations. He ended up agreeing with his doctor and leaving his job. Partly because of concerns of retaliation and partly because they’re still exhausted and traumatized, Dera is hesitant to share details of what happened at work. He is still trying to process and heal from this experience. Leaving a job in a pandemic was both a difficult and necessary decision.
Dera was given eight months of income from unemployment insurance, effective from the time he left until January 14, 2021. The plan was for Dera to use the eight months to heal from burnout as much as he could in that period (burnout usually has a longer recovery time) and to establish other means of income as a freelancer and writer. It didn’t exactly work out that way. As expected, recovering from burnout during a pandemic is quite challenging.
Dera had an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde in May 2020 to get a visa/permit to work as a freelancer, but due to the pandemic and related regulations, this appointment was canceled. Then in June 2020 a huge uprising for Black lives and thousands of protests against police violence towards Black people started happening in the US, the country where Dera grew up. In so many different ways, this was a very traumatic period for Dera and other Black people. Huge waves of temporary support and lip service swelled at this time, only to die down again a few months later when supporting Black lives was no longer a trending topic. And of course, the pandemic raged on.
Dera was finally given an appointment to apply for a freelance visa on March 16, 2021. In order to get approved for the visa, they need to show sufficient funds in savings and be able to pay rent, buy groceries, pay for health insurance and survive in the meantime and until they can start making money as a freelancer. Dera left the USA three years ago for a reason, and it’s imperative for his health and wellbeing that he be able to remain here in Berlin. This is where Dera’s life and future is.
We are raising €8000 to support Dera’s livelihood and survival for the next 4 months. This will allow them to continue to make rent, feed themselves and pay their utilities and insurances and continue to access gender and life-affirming HRT. €8,000 will go towards basic living expenses while he is waiting for this appointment and for a month or two afterwards before his income as a freelancer starts coming in.
Over this time, Dera has been working on his debut novel, a Young Adult Sci-fi Fantasy book written first and foremost with the young, queer, Black reader in mind. Provisionally titled #Astrogeomagic, this is work the world needs and is hungry for! It is life-saving and life-affirming, not only for Dera but also for the queer, trans, Black youth for whom it’s being written. Your support of this campaign will not only help Dera stay alive and in the country but will also go towards bringing this necessary work to life. If you’d like to make a sustained contribution towards #Astrogeomagic, you can also become a Patron of Dera’s work on Patreon and get regular updates and rewards in exchange for your contribution.
If you're unable to donate via GoFundMe, you can also use:
Paypal -
Venmo -
Fundraising team (2)
Dera Luce
Organizer
Berlin
Rama Kulkarni
Team member
