Student Cut-Off by Parents for Being Gay, Crowdfunds to Help Pay for Education

“My name is Kate, I’m nineteen, and I’m a student at the University of Pittsburgh. I worked extremely hard in high school and managed to earn a 4.1 GPA. In College, I made the Dean’s List for academic excellence during both the fall and spring semester…”

So goes the intro to Kate’s crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe.  She sounds like a typical young lady looking to improve her lot in life by pursuing an education and working hard.  Things were looking pretty good until, as stated by Kate, her father went through her mail and discovered she was gay;

“Unfortunately, a week before my first year of college started, my father went through my mail and found out that I am gay. My family, including extended family, is extremely homophobic. After they found out, my parents cut me off financially and I am no longer living with them. They are both unwilling and unable to cosign loans on my behalf. I have searched extensively, but I have been unable to find any loans which don’t require a cosigner. “

In light of her situation, Kate is reaching out to the internet seeking support to help finance her education at U. Pitt.  According to the crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe, Kate has already raised over $7000 from almost 300 supporters.  She hopes to raise $15,000 to pay her way.  She even submitted herself to Ellen Degeneres to support a person in need.

Kate is aware there are plenty of crowdfunding scams these days so she is working to verify her sources.

I am still working diligently to verify my sources so that all of you can feel more secure that you’re donations aren’t going to a scam. It has been very difficult for me to verify my story due to reporters publishing the story before ever speaking to me or anyone around me…

Apparently things took a turn for the worse after she launched the GoFundMe initiative. Kate was let go from her job at Costco.  She has provided an image of the termination notice to help support her claim.  Perhaps with all of the media attention things will take a turn for the better. With over $7000 already raised – that’s a pretty encouraging start.