Help Marcy and Elly Stay Safe

Hello everyone,

It pains me to even bother doing this, but the state of things in Florida are looking extremely dire for trans and LGBTQ people in general. The biggest issue is that Elly and I are deeply rooted in the state; our family is here, my career is here, and simply 'picking up and escaping' the state isn't feasible. We have decades of life invested into where we live, and most states that are "safe" to move to are thousands of miles away. The logistics of even trying to do so are not simple or plausible in a lot of ways.

However, the state of the State, so to speak, is quite dire. With the launch of the presidential campaign, there is likely going to be increased tensions and potential issues arising in the state. It is already basically impossible for me to transition fully in the state anymore, but frankly beyond that we simply need to have the option to move somewhere safer. Whether that is somewhere more locally safe or out of state is hard to discern at the moment. As I mentioned, we have a lot of "roots" in this state, and moving randomly is too nebulous. We'd need leads on new careers, a place to move our stuff, a place to move ourselves, and the safety to live there for a while to get acclimated. In the state itself, we'd need to move to the more 'safe' areas of the state, namely into the larger mid-Florida cities and away from the more rural and deeply red parts. Some might think it stupid to fundraise to not 'leave' the state, but I don't believe that I have to entirely give up on this place, nor is that an easy choice. We do not have family in other states that are 'safer' to move to, we don't have any leads on places to go, and moving somewhere 'safer' in state is a lot easier than moving randomly across the country with no plan. Ideally, relocating is the end goal, but safety of any sort is the primary goal.

The amount being asked for here is certainly high, and I wanted to explain or break down what the amount is for:

About 1/4th is to free up any remaining debts we had entirely. As some may know, a disastrous job situation put both of us deeply in debt in 2018, and working our way out of that while securing a future hasn't been easy, but is proving to be good progress. Getting rid of the remainders means all future money goes directly into savings and living expenses, freeing up about 600~ dollars a month at the very least that would otherwise last around another year and a half.

The other 3/4ths are to secure the following: downpayment on a house OR at least a year of rent as well as the fees to move and relocate our belongings. If this ends up being out of state, then the goal is 6 months of rent and moving expenses, as generally it is unlikely moving can be done under 10k out of state and that's actually probably too low of a number, based on previous moving expenses.

You may notice none of this is directly related to my transition, and that's because sadly that has to go on the back burner. I can't start HRT of any sort currently in FL with the newest restrictions, and since we have no particular target of a state to move to, I can't really consider a timeline for that either. Our biggest goal is to secure a safe (or as safe as possible) place to live, and then work towards transition care as a next step. My goal is to make sure the two of us can live a safe and happy life and heal ourselves, as well as be secure in knowing that we have that safe location, than to worry about HRT treatments currently.

Obviously, I'd rather not do this at all, but I am hoping that this can get us some movement to a safer future for ourselves. I appreciate any time spent reading this, and anything donated will be going directly into our savings.