Help a Trans-femme Nightlife Worker Remain Housed

Earlier this August after struggling with months of food insecurity and being unable to find a job as a programmer in the tech industry for over a year, our dear friend Tegan was admitted to a psych ward after attempting suicide in her Brooklyn home. Thankfully, her friends called for help in time, and were able to prevent her from coming to harm, but she needs still needs aid to remain in her affordable-housing apartment and meet basic needs. We humbly ask that you help us bring her light back into the world by providing her with the mutual aid needed for her to find stable, gainful employment. Your donations would pay for three months of rent, bills, and groceries.

Tegan lost her job last year in the wave of tech-industry layoffs that disproportionately affected queer and transgender workers of the industry. Despite leaving a toxic workplace, experiencing a death in her family, losing a partner, and the death of a beloved pet, she still managed to apply to over 400 jobs while hustling to make ends meet. Tegan began working in nightlife, managing events that simply couldn't have happened without her—here she found a new queer and trans community who were absolutely devastated on learning just how desperate her circumstances had become. Unfortunately, her freelancing and gig-work have barely been enough for her to make ends meet, which has led to her falling behind on rent and bills, reduced her diet to only one meal a day, and crippling depression.

Those of us fortunate enough to call her a friend deeply love Tegan for her wry humor, kindness, and being a rock whenever one of us has needed support. It would have devastated her friends in nightlife and her league mates at Gotham Derby to lose her. More than anything, we want to see her happy again and doing what she loves most, whether it's showing off her programming talent, playing the viola, speeding down the roller-derby track, cuddling her cat Juniper, or simply sharing her light with the people who love her.