My friend Cris lost their job last year in February 2025 and was unemployed for a few months while they tried to find a new one. During this time, they lost most of their savings to cover their living expenses, and decided to enter into a teaching certification program with the goal of switching careers into education long-term. They got a job as an art teacher in June and was set to start this new job in August.

Unfortunately, before they were even able to start their first day on the job, complaints were lodged with their school and the district over them being queer, and objections were made regarding projects and artwork they had posted on their professional social media pages well before they became an educator. They were then subjected to a directed political smear attack by local MAGA figures who riled up outrage over them being queer, spread defamatory lies about them having sexual materials in their classroom, and fear mongered the public about them being a threat to children. The public witch hunt against them got so bad, their state representative Nancy Mace posted their face on her social media and repeated the same defamatory lies, as well as the transphobic hate account LibsofTiktok joining the dogpile.

Since this has happened, they were put on forced leave from their job and they have been forced to lock all their social media accounts. They are now entering into a legal battle with their workplace since their district has refused to defend them and are not cooperating with Cris’s attorney. Cris has been stalked both online and in person as a result of this smear campaign, and has had people attempt to dox their address online due to the outrage. The toll this has taken on their mental health is severe and they have had to increase the amount of times they have therapy each month. Cris is already in debt from losing their first job, and they are still having to pay into their certification despite being completely unable to complete the second phase of the program since they have been barred from teaching. Cris is likely to leave education since their reputation has been tarnished locally and they will be unable to find another teaching position without moving. Even without teaching, they are still hindered in their ability to continue to work freelance as an artist because they relied on their social media to work with clients and be discoverable by employers. Until they finish their legal negotiations, Cris is stuck in limbo and can’t do or say anything until it’s settled.

This gofundme is to help relieve some of the financial burden this situation has put them in and help them transition into a new job. All funds raised will go towards their legal fees and recouping the lost fees towards their teaching certification program.