Help a Trans Couple Move Somewhere Safer

Hello there, thank you for checking out this page.

My name is Emma, and I'm a transgender woman. I live with my trans partner Lillibelle, and for the last 7 or so years we've lived in a small, old apartment together. For several years now we've had the intent to move out of this area, as despite living in Washington we happen to be in one of the most Red/Conservative counties in the state. I'm here today asking for help because unfortunately, we cannot do it on our own.

You're likely aware that as of November the current political climate has gotten rapidly more hostile towards the queer populace, with transgender people in particular receiving a renewed wave of hostility and political movements against their very existence and rights as people. Despite the state's overall more liberal reputation, we fear that hostility and aggression against trans people is going to see a marked increase in these coming months in our county. We've already had other local transgender friends tell us about intimidation attempts they've faced since the election, and unsurprisingly they're also looking to move out of the area.

Despite the intent to move, we've made very little headway over the last few years. The local job market is extremely slim, even more so due to our lack of a vehicle. What few jobs are available within walking distance tend to be industrial/heavy physical labor, with the rare spot hire in retail positions. While I've been lucky to find several employment opportunities over the years, my current income is limited to one part time retail position that just experienced a drop in hours due to the holiday season passing. Lilli, meanwhile, is too physically frail for most of the available work, and has been passed up for the positions she does apply to. As a result, we've already experienced several times where we've had to ask for financial help in order to make rent.

To make matters worse, rent has already risen spontaneously several times throughout the years, and I wouldn't be surprised if it surged again this year. There's very little in the way of resources for those in need locally, and the town already has a rampant homelessness issue with noted apathy/hostility towards those in need. Were we to lose our home in this town, I'm not really sure how we'd recover from that.

Thankfully, there is at least a little bit of good news. I received a little over a month's worth of rent for the holidays from the family, and tax return season is soon. That should offer some small amount of help with funding, but it's going to be nowhere near enough on its own. The goal is to move north, a bit outside of Seattle but within public transit range of the city, where we already have a growing network of friends in the area. Ideally, with a much larger and wider job market up there, higher minimum wage, and a less hostile populace we should be able to find work quick enough to meet our new rent once we're actually settled in. Now feels like both the best chance we've had in a while or will have in the foreseeable future, and I don't want to imagine what will happen to us if we miss it. We need help, now more than ever.