Relocate Kei - escaping LGBT hostile Poland
Donation protected
Our good friend Kei really needs to get out of Poland.
If you haven't been keeping up with the news, the situation in Poland is getting very bad for LGBT individuals. Kei is a very visibly (through no fault of his own) gay man and literally can not walk the streets without slurs and threats being hurled at him. This makes it exceedingly hard to do normal things like visit family, get a job, go to school etc.
Here are some articles discussing the situation in Poland:
-an LGBT activist is jailed to frighten other activists into silence
-a third of Poland declares itself "LGBT free"
-The minister of Poland thinks the entire nation should be LGBT free
-Hanging rainbow flags on statues is a crime in Poland
The image below is just what happened to Kei on a trip to visit his mother this past weekend. I've censored the slurs because I don't think GFM's TOS would like them displayed.
The Polish political parties are either fully against LGBT rights or use them as a football to punt around. During this last election, the 'liberal' party even alligned themselves willingly with a neonazi group who call for the extermination of LGBT individuals. That's the liberal party. That's the party that's supposed to believe he has rights.
This last weekend, armed far right demonstrators burned rainbow flags and threatened to beat anyone visibly queer they came across in the streets . The situation is escelating. We don't want our friend to become a casualty of neofascism. That's why we started this GFM for him.
The goal of this GFM is as follows
1) fund tickets to Germany
2) fund housing expenses for one month in Germany
3) fund living expenses (food etc) for one month in Germany
The major challenges are as follows:
1) Because of coronavirus, Kei may find himself delayed at borders or struggling to find help with housing.
2) Mental health. Kei has major anxiety and PTSD from life in Poland and so will need to prepare ahead of time and secure a month's meds.
3) The actual journey. Because of how anti-LGBT things have become in Poland, the actual journey itself across Poland has the potential for danger.
On the plus side, Kei lives very lightly and would not have much to move. He uses a laptop, and has a talent for languages. He does not have any objections to working something simple like a shop job in Germany, and because Poland is still a member of the EU, he doesn't need to secure any kind of visas to cross the border for a new life.
If the total amount is not reached for this GFM, Kei will look into other options in Germany with whatever money is raised.
One might asky why Kei doesn't seek the help of his local LGBT group. Without going into too much detail, his abusive, stalker ex is highly involved in the local scene and so he will most likely just find himself mocked for needing help or wanting to flee. This is also why we haven't put Kei's photo in this GFM, and he isn't running it himself.
He's a sweet, compassionate man who just wants to be able to live his life. He's helped me connect with my own heritage (my great grandfather left Poland and the Jewish ghetto as a boy) and was a huge source of emotional support during my cancer treatment. We (his friends) just want him to be safe and healthy, and that is why this gofundme exists.
If you know of resources in Germany to help Kei, or are able to offer some other type of assistance beyond the purely financial, please send me an email that I will pass on to him. My email is [email redacted] . com
Thank you for anything at all you can give.
If you haven't been keeping up with the news, the situation in Poland is getting very bad for LGBT individuals. Kei is a very visibly (through no fault of his own) gay man and literally can not walk the streets without slurs and threats being hurled at him. This makes it exceedingly hard to do normal things like visit family, get a job, go to school etc.
Here are some articles discussing the situation in Poland:
-an LGBT activist is jailed to frighten other activists into silence
-a third of Poland declares itself "LGBT free"
-The minister of Poland thinks the entire nation should be LGBT free
-Hanging rainbow flags on statues is a crime in Poland
The image below is just what happened to Kei on a trip to visit his mother this past weekend. I've censored the slurs because I don't think GFM's TOS would like them displayed.
The Polish political parties are either fully against LGBT rights or use them as a football to punt around. During this last election, the 'liberal' party even alligned themselves willingly with a neonazi group who call for the extermination of LGBT individuals. That's the liberal party. That's the party that's supposed to believe he has rights.
This last weekend, armed far right demonstrators burned rainbow flags and threatened to beat anyone visibly queer they came across in the streets . The situation is escelating. We don't want our friend to become a casualty of neofascism. That's why we started this GFM for him.
The goal of this GFM is as follows
1) fund tickets to Germany
2) fund housing expenses for one month in Germany
3) fund living expenses (food etc) for one month in Germany
The major challenges are as follows:
1) Because of coronavirus, Kei may find himself delayed at borders or struggling to find help with housing.
2) Mental health. Kei has major anxiety and PTSD from life in Poland and so will need to prepare ahead of time and secure a month's meds.
3) The actual journey. Because of how anti-LGBT things have become in Poland, the actual journey itself across Poland has the potential for danger.
On the plus side, Kei lives very lightly and would not have much to move. He uses a laptop, and has a talent for languages. He does not have any objections to working something simple like a shop job in Germany, and because Poland is still a member of the EU, he doesn't need to secure any kind of visas to cross the border for a new life.
If the total amount is not reached for this GFM, Kei will look into other options in Germany with whatever money is raised.
One might asky why Kei doesn't seek the help of his local LGBT group. Without going into too much detail, his abusive, stalker ex is highly involved in the local scene and so he will most likely just find himself mocked for needing help or wanting to flee. This is also why we haven't put Kei's photo in this GFM, and he isn't running it himself.
He's a sweet, compassionate man who just wants to be able to live his life. He's helped me connect with my own heritage (my great grandfather left Poland and the Jewish ghetto as a boy) and was a huge source of emotional support during my cancer treatment. We (his friends) just want him to be safe and healthy, and that is why this gofundme exists.
If you know of resources in Germany to help Kei, or are able to offer some other type of assistance beyond the purely financial, please send me an email that I will pass on to him. My email is [email redacted] . com
Thank you for anything at all you can give.
Organizer
Sydney Icarus
Organizer
Ashburnham, MA