Transitional Housing for Transgender Refugees

Hi, my name is Lee and I'm fundraising to provide transitional housing for transgender refugees. I'm a transgender man living in Missouri, where the attorney general has issued an extreme "emergency order" to prevent people like me from accessing prescription medication that my doctor has prescribed because it supports my gender-related care needs.

“The Attorney General’s dangerous and unlawful twisting of Missouri’s consumer protection laws corrupt our health care system by inserting the government into the medical decisions of people and their doctors in order to play politics at the expense of life-saving medical care,” said Gillian Wilcox, Deputy Director for Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri.

“This usurping of power will not only inflict harm on transgender adolescents, but its application will immediately jeopardize the health care of transgender adults throughout the state. This chicanery is the Attorney General’s attempt to legislate and harm transgender Missourians while ignoring evidence-based medical treatment for his own political gain. Every person has the right to express themselves, control their bodies, and seek the health care they need while doing so free of prejudice, discrimination, and violence.”

People all over the US are experiencing unexpected displacement, becoming refugees of their home state as they are forced to flee. Some must leave so that they can find refuge in states that will allow them full access to their prescribed medications and other serious and life-saving medical needs.

Others must immediately abandon their homes, jobs, schools and families because their home state has passed laws that make it a felony for them to give their child the medication that their child's doctor has prescribed if it supports gender-related care.

Many of these parents must choose between their home and their child's access to medical treatment. To stay in their home state means they may lose custody of their child, simply because they are giving their child medication prescribed by their doctor.

As an example of current legislation that has passed - a bill in Florida is "inflicting criminal penalties (including felony penalties) on providers who give gender-affirming care; it would take licenses away from those providers; and it would prohibit Medicare from covering gender-affirming care for transgender youth or adults. It would also forbid public funds, including those of a public university, public hospital, city, or county, and Medicare, from being used to provide benefits that include gender-affirming care - for transgender people of all ages.

And - uniquely - it allows the state to remove trans children from their parents if they are receiving transition care by purporting to give family courts jurisdiction to set aside another state’s custody determination for a young person if their parents have authorized or might authorize best practice, age-appropriate gender-affirming health care." (source: hrc.org)

This is an inhumane situation made all the more cruel by the lack of support and resources available to these families during this time of crisis.

To that end, myself and Sarah Jane Ron have cofounded the charity "Transitional Justice". We launch it this week as Missouri legislation takes away my own right to medical treatment. Hundreds of volunteers and dozens of nonprofit partners have joined with us in the last 72 hours, and now we need your donations to put the work into action and provide transitional housing for transgender adults and families with transgender children.

Please donate TODAY to help us support these families and individuals who have had little to no warning before being uprooted from their homes and communities.

Your donation will cover the cost of housing individuals and families that must unexpectedly move from a hostile state to a refuge state. They will receive between 1-8 weeks of transitional housing, based on need, so that they can get on their feet in a new state. It will also provide temporary stays for transgender people visiting refuge states to access necessary medical care.

Our team is founded and run by transgender and queer individuals on the frontlines, many of whom are currently experiencing the same displacement. We are all very grateful for your support, donations, and willingness to spread the word and help us.

This is a dire point in history and we must all work together immediately if we want to save trans lives, protect the parents and care providers of trans youth, and keep transgender people of all ages safe from harm.

Every $1 sends a message that says you stand with us and provides hope to our community. Thank you.