Help Sévérine With Moving & Living
Donation protected
Hi! My name is Sévérine Cox.
Some of you know me as Stef or Stefani De La Cuesta.
You may know also know me as a drag and burlesque performer from Chicago or through my modest presence on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram/Threads, BlueSky, Letterboxd etc
I am a trans woman from Chicago who had a rather successful and long career in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations and Advertising who was unfortunately caught up in the sea of corporate layoffs amidst 2023 and recently started a position as a digital manager for an ad agency and doing automation work for a marketing agency.
The ad agency has been very “old school” meaning they have cut me a paycheck in lieu of direct deposit.
Unfortunately 3 times now they have been late on my pay and 3 times now their checks have bounced.
I will not name them but they are in the midst of an acquisition and I am currently part of taking class action for the over $6000 I and other employees are owed.
While I have been making ends meet through my remote gig, contract work as well as gigs and other means, based on the current economic climate I made the difficult decision to leave my home in Chicago for the time being, pursue a dream of an opportunity in Los Angeles, California as well as New York City and reassess where to go from there.
In December 2023 my application for a major business/job opportunity was accepted. I cannot fully reveal the details of this yet as I am under NDA.
Beginning on Wednesday, March 27, this opportunity is inclusive of 2+ weeks pay for my time as well as a room accommodation and other necessities.
Beyond that, however, I will be staying in Los Angeles to Thursday, April 11th where I will be returning briefly Chicago before going back to LA April 13 until another brief return to Chicago April 18 for commercial and film work before leaving for New York on April 27 and I’ll have been between Chicago, LA and NY the remainder of April and most of May.
And now as of June 2024 I’m back in Chicago, proper. Having expanded my network, accomplished some major career/life milestones, made (some) good money, and more importantly picked up and developed a lot of new skills.
I have started this GoFundMe, separate from my transition and mutual aid fund to help with the following:
- Moving Expenses (flights, transportation, storage, movers, my vehicle, rental cars/trucks/vans, other housing)
- Continued Medical Expenses (Estradiol, Progesterone, Spironolactone, Lexapro, Seroquel, Wellbutrin)
- Continued Living Necessities Expenses (food, moving around)
- Continued bills and recurring expenses (phone/internet, LinkedIn, Adobe suite etc)
My goal is to have raised at least $2000 with a stretch goal of $3000.
Chicago is my home. And it’s where I have my true family. It’s the place I wish to have roots in.
However, given the nature of my 9-to-5 career, as well as my aspirations as a creative, as an artist, performer and entertainer I believe this temporarily uprooting and move will help significantly in terms of next steps for all of the above. And that includes this current business venture, as well as the network of peers and old friends there.
In addition to this GoFundMe I am including the following:
CASH APP:
PAYPAL:
ZELLE Email Available Upon Request
To my Chicago family, this isn’t goodbye, I’ll be back before you know it.
Always And Forever,
Sévérine
Organizer
Stefano De La Cuesta
Organizer
Chicago, IL