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Family crowdfunds escape from anti-LGBTQ+ Texas

By CM Chaney · October 1, 2023

In brief…

  • A Paris, Texas family is trying to raise $15,000 to move out of its increasingly anti-LGBTQIA+ state.
  • The family's GoFundMe page says years of living paycheck to paycheck have prevented them from saving enough to move.
  • The fundraising page says the move would be "a miracle," enabling them to reach safety in a more LGBTQIA-friendly state.
  • Texas recently banned gender-affirming care for minors with fears a ban for adults is coming soon.
A Texas family has resorted to crowdfunding to finance its move out of their homestate, which, they say, has grown hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals.  Image: GoFundMe

A Paris, Texas family is trying to raise $15,000 through crowdfunding in order to move out of the state, which, they claim, has grown increasingly hostile towards LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Texas has “become more hostile to people in the LGBTQIA+ community” over the past few years, according to the family’s GoFundMe page set up by the family’s mother, Kara Duncan.

Duncan, who lives with her two children and transgender boyfriend, says she now fears that something will happen to their family if they do not depart Texas for “a more favorable state” soon.

Duncan points to a recent Texas law - recently upheld in federal court - banning gender-affirming care for minors. Duncan worries the state will follow Florida’s lead in banning such care for adults as well.

The Movement Advancement Project rates Texas as one of the most LGBTQ-unfriendly states, along with Florida, Montana, and Alabama.

The family’s GoFundMe page, which has drawn few donations, says the Duncans wish they had enough savings to move further away, but years of living paycheck to paycheck have not afforded them that opportunity.

Duncan writes that in order to reach safety, they need “a miracle” in the form of donations to finance their move from Texas to a state with greater protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

“In the end, we just want to live with hope, love, and light,” the fundraising message concludes.

This Texas family’s story echoes similar fundraisers launched recently by LGBTQIA+ individuals fleeing other LGTBQ-unfriendly states.