Urgent! Trans artist in need of financial help!
Donation protected
Content warning: Abuse, Kidnapping, Mental Health and Blood
This is my friend Nat. She’s a young Trans artist and this is her story. For safety reasons she’s forced to stay in the closet and we are refraining from using her pictures. Please donate and or share.
My parents abused me for 19 years. Became estranged from one of them before graduating High School, 4 years of college were great because I was away from the other one during that time. Got to really grow/develop as a person, achieve self-realization of who I am and my identity.
Upon moving back in with her after college, she destroyed all of that. She destroyed my growth, gained self-worth, and confidence. Re-ingrained the negative thoughts and crippling trauma all over again. Desperate to leave, I tried everything. I tried getting a job and a place lined up before leaving (believe me when I say I tried everything) and no luck. My work experience is too niche to one field (filmmaking) and that field is dead outside the major cities because of crises in recent years. I asked all my other friends for leads, referrals, or help of any kind… basically all of them couldn’t help due to living in other states now.
Desperate, I was left to flee one December morning with a packed bag and no plan. One of only two people left in the state I knew (though admittedly not that well) said I could stay with them until I could get back on my feet. This was really an ulterior motive situation, in retrospect it was a 2nd degree kidnapping/kidnapping via deceit. They wanted money from me to get out of a bad situation THEY were in, which I wasn’t prepared to give after my recent circumstances. With their mental instability on top of their bad jam they were in, it essentially became an even more hostile version of the situation I was leaving in the first place. When they realized they wouldn’t get anything out of me, and became increasingly paranoid about being “incriminated,” they kicked me to the streets.
I scrambled to find another place to stay, equally shaky/shady “person I barely know but still lives in my state” (basically because I had no other option). That one was a repeat of that situation, though not so far as a 2nd degree kidnapping (though they got physically violent toward me at times). Similar outcome, when they realized there was nothing they could get out of me for a jam THEY were in (surprise surprise) I got kicked to the streets again. I just barely managed to find a place to live with two strangers as roommates, and a manufacturing job thanks to a temp agency, in time. Problem is that I accumulated several physical health problems from being UNEMPLOYED AND HOMELESS/COUCH SURFING for two years — during which I wasn’t sleeping on a mattress, malnourished, and had no means of transportation other than my two feet (both the previous two people refused to offer any financial assistance, so I still had to fend for myself) — as a result of said health problems, I could not physically keep up with that job and my performance worsened to the point I was terminated (I was literally coughing up blood).
Ditto for the 2nd job I had after that, where I knew that was coming. Due to that and other circumstances, it was for the best that I resigned before they fired me (that one I ended on better terms, I was fully transparent about my recent circumstances with my manager and he had full empathy, full recommendation in the future if I need it). I can’t do unskilled labor or manufacturing because of physical limitations, but that’s the only work available.
And aside from that… the complete strangers who are my roommates had ulterior motives too (of course it happened again). They needed a roommate until one of the two of them could be financially well enough again they didn’t need a third roommate… and now that they make enough they don’t need me to help with rent anymore, they want the spare room and have asked me to leave when our lease is up in 12 weeks. People have used me, and used me, and used me, and used me. And when there was nothing left they could take from me, and they had no further use for me, they’ve discarded me like trash and left me worse than they found me. So I’m now somehow supposed to find a job and new place to live in that time, or I lose my home and go back to being homeless.
And yet… I still believe there is a beautiful future ahead — even after all that — worth surviving this for. Because there is too much in it to look forward to, to give up on it. So please help me make it to that future. Because I’d really like to get to be in it.
That’s really all I’m asking.
I’m not asking for a miracle — I’m not sure if I even believe in those anymore — I’m just asking for your help getting home.
This is my friend Nat. She’s a young Trans artist and this is her story. For safety reasons she’s forced to stay in the closet and we are refraining from using her pictures. Please donate and or share.
My parents abused me for 19 years. Became estranged from one of them before graduating High School, 4 years of college were great because I was away from the other one during that time. Got to really grow/develop as a person, achieve self-realization of who I am and my identity.
Upon moving back in with her after college, she destroyed all of that. She destroyed my growth, gained self-worth, and confidence. Re-ingrained the negative thoughts and crippling trauma all over again. Desperate to leave, I tried everything. I tried getting a job and a place lined up before leaving (believe me when I say I tried everything) and no luck. My work experience is too niche to one field (filmmaking) and that field is dead outside the major cities because of crises in recent years. I asked all my other friends for leads, referrals, or help of any kind… basically all of them couldn’t help due to living in other states now.
Desperate, I was left to flee one December morning with a packed bag and no plan. One of only two people left in the state I knew (though admittedly not that well) said I could stay with them until I could get back on my feet. This was really an ulterior motive situation, in retrospect it was a 2nd degree kidnapping/kidnapping via deceit. They wanted money from me to get out of a bad situation THEY were in, which I wasn’t prepared to give after my recent circumstances. With their mental instability on top of their bad jam they were in, it essentially became an even more hostile version of the situation I was leaving in the first place. When they realized they wouldn’t get anything out of me, and became increasingly paranoid about being “incriminated,” they kicked me to the streets.
I scrambled to find another place to stay, equally shaky/shady “person I barely know but still lives in my state” (basically because I had no other option). That one was a repeat of that situation, though not so far as a 2nd degree kidnapping (though they got physically violent toward me at times). Similar outcome, when they realized there was nothing they could get out of me for a jam THEY were in (surprise surprise) I got kicked to the streets again. I just barely managed to find a place to live with two strangers as roommates, and a manufacturing job thanks to a temp agency, in time. Problem is that I accumulated several physical health problems from being UNEMPLOYED AND HOMELESS/COUCH SURFING for two years — during which I wasn’t sleeping on a mattress, malnourished, and had no means of transportation other than my two feet (both the previous two people refused to offer any financial assistance, so I still had to fend for myself) — as a result of said health problems, I could not physically keep up with that job and my performance worsened to the point I was terminated (I was literally coughing up blood).
Ditto for the 2nd job I had after that, where I knew that was coming. Due to that and other circumstances, it was for the best that I resigned before they fired me (that one I ended on better terms, I was fully transparent about my recent circumstances with my manager and he had full empathy, full recommendation in the future if I need it). I can’t do unskilled labor or manufacturing because of physical limitations, but that’s the only work available.
And aside from that… the complete strangers who are my roommates had ulterior motives too (of course it happened again). They needed a roommate until one of the two of them could be financially well enough again they didn’t need a third roommate… and now that they make enough they don’t need me to help with rent anymore, they want the spare room and have asked me to leave when our lease is up in 12 weeks. People have used me, and used me, and used me, and used me. And when there was nothing left they could take from me, and they had no further use for me, they’ve discarded me like trash and left me worse than they found me. So I’m now somehow supposed to find a job and new place to live in that time, or I lose my home and go back to being homeless.
And yet… I still believe there is a beautiful future ahead — even after all that — worth surviving this for. Because there is too much in it to look forward to, to give up on it. So please help me make it to that future. Because I’d really like to get to be in it.
That’s really all I’m asking.
I’m not asking for a miracle — I’m not sure if I even believe in those anymore — I’m just asking for your help getting home.
Organizer
Blake Laisure
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA