this may be a long story, but i hope you will read and find it in your heart to empathize with what i say.

after years of battling severe depression, anxiety, social panic, and extreme discomfort with myself and my body due to gender dysphoria, this year of my life, i made the decision that medically transitioning was the right path for me. i started testosterone, changed my name, uprooted my life in a very scary way, but in a way that has made me happier than ever. i don’t regret this choice at all, i feel so much more like myself.

unfortunately, due to the political climate in my country and my state right now, i had to make the difficult decision to quit my job as a teacher, to transition. i knew that i would not be able to keep this job and do so, and that i likely wouldn’t be able to return to the profession. this was my passion career, so this was completely devastating for me, but transitioning was something i had to do to save my life. 

now, i’m struggling to find a job in my rural city that will hire me while being a non-passing trans person. much less, a job that i can upkeep with my autism, which i was diagnosed with in 2022. many retail jobs feel almost impossible to me with this disability, to points that have resulted in me reaching severe burnout periods where i was unable to care for myself.

to put it simply, the state of this country is getting very scary. my state is one level from being “do not travel” on the trans safety map. scarier legislation is introduced every single day. social media posts and even professionals everywhere are urging trans people in red states to relocate ASAP. my state just decided medicaid is legally allowed to ban gender affirming surgeries. my state just put into law that if i walk into a men’s locker room, i would be charged with indecent exposure and forced to be put on the offender registry. 

i hate asking for help, but i don’t have the money to do this right now, and i don’t have a lot of time to wait anymore. things are getting very scary. i have legal documents and paperwork to pay for in order to complete my legal transition and ensure my safety, and i need to move to a place that is safer for me as soon as possible. 

as i continue to look for jobs and ways to save money and get myself out of here, i would also grea appreciate any donations to help speed up the process. any little bit helps. i am so grateful for any amount of support i receive. 

sincerely,

hayes