Help Natalie Find a Home
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Hello, my name is Natalie, I am a 32-year-old Muslim transgender woman. I came to United States on a student visa to complete my Master’s Degree in Information Systems Management, am mother to a beautiful son, and spend my free time volunteering for ALQST, a human rights organization focused on fighting authoritarian abuses in my home country of Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after beginning my gender transition, my wife and partner of ten years began emotionally and physically harming me, and disallowed me from seeing my child.
I fled to my family in Saudi Arabia, but they too were not accepting of my gender identity. I was isolated, physically abused, underfed, and forced to see an endocrinologist who attempted to reverse the impacts of the hormones I was taking to transition. Seeking to claim my true identity, I managed to escape and come to Seattle in November 2017. I tried to make a new life with my partner, but the abuse continued, and I was forced onto the street to survive.
Since then, I have been working with a case manager and various service providers to find shelter, seek political asylum, and secure a job. However, more often than not, the fact that I am trans and lack US citizenship disqualifies me from accessing the services I need. Currently, I have no way of supporting myself, despite the fact that I am fluent in English, hold an advanced degree, and am a member of the National Honors Society. I will not be awarded refugee status for another three months at minimum, and need financial assistance in the interim period to stay safe.
My time at a shelter will be coming to an end very soon, and I will need your help to secure a place to live. Any contribution you can make to assist me during this difficult period will allow me to be safe and avoid the streets—a very dangerous place for a Muslim trans person. Thank you for reading my story and helping me to claim my gender identity, my safety, and my future success.
Shortly after beginning my gender transition, my wife and partner of ten years began emotionally and physically harming me, and disallowed me from seeing my child.
I fled to my family in Saudi Arabia, but they too were not accepting of my gender identity. I was isolated, physically abused, underfed, and forced to see an endocrinologist who attempted to reverse the impacts of the hormones I was taking to transition. Seeking to claim my true identity, I managed to escape and come to Seattle in November 2017. I tried to make a new life with my partner, but the abuse continued, and I was forced onto the street to survive.
Since then, I have been working with a case manager and various service providers to find shelter, seek political asylum, and secure a job. However, more often than not, the fact that I am trans and lack US citizenship disqualifies me from accessing the services I need. Currently, I have no way of supporting myself, despite the fact that I am fluent in English, hold an advanced degree, and am a member of the National Honors Society. I will not be awarded refugee status for another three months at minimum, and need financial assistance in the interim period to stay safe.
My time at a shelter will be coming to an end very soon, and I will need your help to secure a place to live. Any contribution you can make to assist me during this difficult period will allow me to be safe and avoid the streets—a very dangerous place for a Muslim trans person. Thank you for reading my story and helping me to claim my gender identity, my safety, and my future success.
Organizer
Ava Keating
Organizer
Seattle, WA