Help Thalia and Mako Escape Transphobia

My dear friends, Thalia and Mako, and their cat Luci (short for Lucifer) are seeking aid in escaping the escalating transphobia in Texas to safety with friends and family in California. As many are already aware, the Trump administration has been targeting trans people as a scapegoat and this has emboldened not just the state of Texas to push for more transphobic legislation, but it has also emboldened transphobia within everyday citizens of Texas.

For Mako, she has been experiencing this transphobia in having a highly specialized skill set that she is unable to get a job with, even with her former employer-- that laid her off after she came out-- who has been in the process of expanding recently. In January, Mako and Luci were kicked out of her home by her mother which has led to her and Luci living with her girlfriend Thalia who is renting with her siblings. While Mako still has some support from her grandmother, her mother has all but cut her off from emotional and financial support. To make matters worse, her car broke down in February which impacted not just the savings keeping her afloat to get it repaired but has also impacted her ability to make income for several weeks as she has been underemployed as a DoorDasher.

For Thalia, the transphobia she has experienced has been so severe that she has felt unsafe at work, leading to her being constructively discharged from her IT job in January after being called a transphobic slur by coworkers. Since her constructive discharge, Thalia and Mako have been living off of the money they have each earned for retirement and have been having to supplement that by DoorDashing. This of course is not enough to cover expenses needed to support two trans women and their source of joy Luci, and both Thalia and Mako have had to pause HRT in order to keep paying for rent and food. She has also received little to no emotional support from her family, and while she and Mako are living with Thalia's siblings at the moment, she has been blamed for needing to protect her safety by removing herself from an unsafe work environment which has led to her siblings requesting her to move out. Thalia and Mako have until June 1st to find housing accommodations because Thalia has been unsupported by family in the wake of workplace harassment.

Because of these extenuating circumstances, I have decided to make this GoFundMe to help Thalia, Mako, and Luci escape to California; a state where qualifying for food stamps doesn't require a landlord's signature and where they will be able to resume HRT with no trouble. A place where they will be more easily and readily accepted, and where they could walk to support groups local to their city. A place where they can heal and be supported in getting back on their feet so that they can be emboldened to fight back because they are somewhere full of people who fight for them.

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Costs breakdown:

Their car does not have AC, and because it is a 24 hour drive, Mako and Luci will be flying into California to keep Luci safe and comfortable. Thalia will be driving the car across the country over the course of three days, 8 hours of driving a day. To support the drive the car needs two new tires, and if they pass their donation goal they might even be able to fix the AC before driving across the desert! So, here are the proposed expenses for them to move on as little money as possible. Suggestions and cost saving tips welcome!

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In the end, the Trump administration and politicians aligned with it are trying to terrify trans people. It is working. Mako and Thalia are fleeing Texas, leaving their lives, family, and home behind. Let's show them that humanity is better than this-- that they are not alone!

Any and all money received from your donations will directly fund expenses related to moving such as gas, shipping, hotels, flights, etc, as listed above. Your time, attention, and assistance is loved and appreciated! Please share this with all your friends!