How can you measure 525,600 minutes? That's how many are in a year.
Then, let's try to imagine measuring 4,993,200. That's almost 10 years.
This is a fund to help me and my moving buddies escape the horrors that have unfortunately befallen Kansas, my would-be home, as a state. Like many of my friends, due to recent legislation and ICE activity in my city, as a Black, autistic, trans man who is often mistaken for Latino, am in a life-threatening situation any time I leave my home while living in KS. I need help getting out as soon as I can. This could genuinely be life or death.
I've lived in KS (more or less lol) for 9 and half entire years. It's been an incredible ride, and my current city was "supposed to be" my forever home. However, due to unprecedented cruelty, bigotry and Malice, that is no longer possible.
9.5 years is a long time, and in that time, I’ve experienced joy, fear, community, trauma, and just... LIFE. I am now almost 40 years old, and I never thought I’d make it this far. But I’m here, grateful, and still alive because of all of the people in my community who make life worth living.
Despite the significant losses in the past two years -- My marriage, my best friend, my medical team, my safety, more of my health, My Puppy, tons of therapy set backs, etc- I’ve formed connections with a great many wonderful humans I consider family. I would not be leaving them if it was anything but an emergency.
All circumstances point to this being my time to leave while I still can. I have people to leave with that I know will help keep us safe and make sure I am alright. I know so many people that I can get them to help with moving while its still not 100 degrees outside, and I have finished letting go of all the objects and photos from when I was married, a life a have finally turned the page from. The dystopian levels of scare tactics, bigotry and violence has come at a time that my moving buddies and I may still have a chance to get out before its too late.
In DBT therapy they talk about dialectics, as in, two things that seem opposed can be true at once. So, though I genuinely don't want to leave my people, I AM ready for a new chapter. Although this move is motivated by needing to be safe, I am trying to look at it as a new beginning.
The attached fund will help me turn the last page of the previous story and start a new, more self-actualized, safer life without the current worries about violence and harassment of I try to exist in public, either from open transphobia...or govt sanctioned racists.
This is a relatively sudden thing, and I am on a fixed income. SSI only gives me $994 dollars for the entire month and I still have to pay rent and a phone bill among other things in between now and April.
My moving buddies DO have work income, and we've all started saving, but it is still not enough to fully fund getting us to another state; We have to pay for multiple apartment application fees, gas for the trip, food, deposits and every thing else that comes with moving, even within the same city, let alone another state entirely.
(If fully funded, any of the remainder of the money raised will go to support me paying off the credit card debts I accumulated by suddenly having to live in away from my ex-apartment when my ex spouse threw a surprise divorce onto me, 45 mins from home, unable to drive.)
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Those of my group that its relevant for, have already applied for the TCP fund for moving to Colorado, but they are very backed up at the moment, for obvious reasons.
If you're somehow not aware of how scarily emergent this is for queer/trans Kansas residents, I have included some brief information about it below, in addition to the other urgent reasons we need to leave Kansas NOW. The legislations are national news by now, so it will be easy to find details elsewhere if you need them.
Thank you for your time reading my story, I hope you will take a moment to share this fund, even if you cannot personally donate.
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The Real Impact of the recent legislative bigotry is that, as of a few days ago, most of my friends and I, now cannot use a public restroom without risking harassment and legal trouble. It doesn't matter if the law specifies government buildings or not. Every person who has a problem with queer and trans people will use it as an excuse anywhere they want to feel powerful. As of last night, we can no longer correct IDs and drivers licenses, and anyone who gets pulled over or found to have an "invalid" license can be arrested and jailed. That also means ANY situation where we might need to present my ID puts us at risk, ANY person seeing the wrong gender marker and the incongruence with how we look may be a potential risk. It means using money we don't have to pay the state to put a glaring mark on our foreheads.
There is also the recent legislation about ICE, thier blatant visibility in Lawrence and the threat that presents to me as a Black man who is often mistaken for being latino. If you're up on the news, you'll understand WHY that's all a problem.
I am not safe to leave my home for many reasons, but friends, my family, don't need to be multi-marginalized in order yo deserve safety and peace of mind. We need to leave KS and we need more help doing it than we currently have.
Please share this fund widely. Social media, Discord, family chats....really, anywhere it might reach supportive (safe) people. Even if you cannot donate, your sharing genuinely makes a difference.
Thank you for your time and thank you in advanced for your help.
Happy to provide artwork, receipts, etc in order to secure funding.
