
LGBTQ Artist Facing Eviction
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Eddie! I'm an LGBTQ artist currently living in an area of the rural South where there are few economic opportunities and the environment is getting increasingly hostile to LGBT people. Donating to this GoFundMe will help me and my pets move to the West Coast and build a new life there.
In the state where I live now, there are bills being promoted on the senate floor to allow EMT and healthcare providers to deny emergency care to LGBTQ patients, and especially to trans individuals. Homophobic prejudice and harassment have prevented me from finding enough local work to support myself or save up to move where conditions are more favorable. I have suffered vandalism, homophobic slurs, verbal harassment, and direct intimidation at my own home as well as on the street. In recent months, I have been the target of multiple break-in attempts that appear to be escalating.
I consider myself a resourceful and hardworking individual. This is far from the first hardship I've faced; when I was 16, I was outed to my stepfather and he kicked me out of the house. I finished high school living in a homeless youth shelter, and I lived in my car and showered at the school athletic center for most of my time in college. I completed my degree and have been working ever since to support myself, despite the discrimination and limited job opportunities in my area. I do as much local farmhand labor and remote telework as I can find, including freelance illustration and design commissions.
However, in March, telework opportunities will be further restricted in my state. With few exceptions, residents will be prohibited from accessing telework that pays more than state minimum wage, which is far below the national poverty line. My family does not support me, and I was recently left with several thousand dollars of bills for shared living expenses to pay when my roommates moved out. These bills, the pandemic, and recent extreme weather events have completely depleted the savings I had been building ever since graduation.
Every donation means a chance for me to leave this hostile environment and start a new life in a more accepting community where I have a better chance of finding stable employment and access to healthcare. All funds will go towards paying moving expenses, lease and deposit on a new place to live, and a security cushion while I situate myself into new employment.
I’m appreciative of any contributions anyone is able to spare. Those who are able to contribute at all have my forever gratitude for helping change my life in a hugely positive way and helping me avoid potentially facing homelessness for a second time in my life.
Organizer

Eddie Martin
Organizer
Fort Smith, AR