Help Jess Find Safety and Community in California

Hi there! I'm Jess, a transgender woman living in rural Indiana who no longer feels safe in my home state, and is swallowing my pride to reach out for help from allies and my community so that I can afford an immediate departure to a much safer place. This has been an incredibly difficult thing for me to put myself out there and do, but I strongly believe that there's no shame in asking for help when one needs it, and I'm trying to live the truth of that conviction because I very much need help right now.

I'm a born and raised Hoosier, and while I've never felt fully safe or welcome in Indiana, particularly over the last two years when I both came out as trans and saw the reality of that lived experience here, it's still been my home and it's painful to face what it's rapidly turning into with the election of fascism in this country.

Both our collective situation as queer Hoosiers and my own personal one have deteriorated rapidly with the results of the recent election. My mental health and physical safety have both become urgent issues. It is simply no longer tenable to fight the fight here for me, I have to leave.

I'm asking for your material support so that I can complete a move to California, essentially as soon as possible. I have been incredibly fortunate to be connected with folks doing the real work of organizing, supporting, and protecting their community in ways I find deeply validating and authentically inspiring. The support and readiness they have shown has humbled me, and I am deeply driven to get there so I can join them, and pay forward to other trans folks needing to flee dangerous situations.

I want to be accountable and transparent every step of the way. Every single dollar is appreciated and helps in a directly impactful way to securing my immediate travel to San Francisco and the expenses needed once I first arrive so I have a real chance of getting on my feet. Any money raised past what ends up being needed for that to happen I am committing to paying forward to other trans women in my situation, working with organizers and activists I deeply trust. This is just me, putting on my own oxygen mask first, so that I can then contribute to helping others, which is the core moral conviction of my life.

My general breakdown of this goal is as follows:

$1400 for rent. The first month of this has been secured by an incredibly generous friend already, so an additional $1400 would give me a second month's breathing room while I secure a job.

$350 for my transit cost from IN to CA. I don't want to be too specific about this for my own safety, but I will be taking a transit option based on sustainability as my first priority.

$100 for misc food/coffee/basic needs for the trip itself.

$200 to pick up some basic travel necessities for what I'm able to bring with me (extra charger, battery, replacing toiletries, etc.).

$500 for basic expenses once I arrive, ensuring I can eat and get small things for those first few weeks.

$500 for resolving some financial obligations to those I'm leaving behind so that they aren't impacted by my departure; I refuse to leave these folks hanging.

That's the basic gist -- I've rounded up and added a bit more just because there are always unforeseen expenses.

It's such a cliché, but it's absolutely true that literally every dollar helps. Know that I am deeply grateful for anyone that finds themselves able to support to any degree whatsoever, or who cannot but will share this on in the hopes someone else might.

#WeHelpUs

Things are dark, but they are not lost.

With a humble & hopeful heart, thank you.

j