My name is Vanessa. I am an autistic trans woman who has lived my whole life with a deeply controlling and transphobic family. I couldn’t leave the house without permission, my activity within the house was closely monitored, I was forbidden from transitioning, my parents had full control of my bank account and regularly took my money, I was forbidden from receiving vaccinations or most forms of medical care, and they made persistent attempts to steal my HRT and other medication. About two months ago I finally left.

The process of leaving was very difficult. It was particularly challenging to get all my belongings out of the house while under near constant surveillance from a family who had forbidden me from ever leaving. Lacking in other options, I slowly transported my possession to a U-Haul shipping container over the course of several weeks and had it shipped to the city I’d be moving to. I was told by U-Haul it would cost approximately $1,000 to ship, which was a massive undertaking for me but one I could technically take on at the time with my savings. To my shock, I arrived to my girlfriend and I’s new apartment and found a bill of $3,927.50. Over almost a month of constant phone tag, begging, bargaining and being given the run around by U-Haul I discovered this bill is because somebody at U-Haul accidentally selected express shipping for me against my wishes.

The cross country move from Massachusetts to Oregon already cost me more than half my savings. I was lucky enough to be able to transfer to a Starbucks location in my new city but in order to keep down labor costs they refuse to give me more than 20 hours a week despite my begging for 40. I am seeking a second job but have had no luck. My girlfriend similarly struggles with finding employment. Given that I am on the hook for $1,200 a month rent in the cheapest studio apartment we could find, my monthly income only currently covers half my cost of living. I am facing total destitution. In the background of all this I have been constantly bargaining back and forth with U-Haul to get back my belongings. Currently I do not even have access to belts and my pants are constantly falling around my ankles. I have had it lowered to $1,567.50 but they won’t budge any further. Nearly all my belongings are being held captive by U-Haul and with how much money I’ve had to pay recently I cannot afford to get my belongings back, and each month they are in storage I am charged another $100. With how rapidly my economic situation has fallen out of control, I can no longer even afford the $1,567.50. I just want my stuff back.