WEBVTT - The Attacks on Eden House, A Trans Haven for Kenya 0:00:04.559 --> 0:00:10.880 So I'm here today with Aria and an Aria. She 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:13.880 lives at the Eden House over there in Kenya and 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:18.160 is the chair of the management board at trans Rescue 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:21.680 and has over forty years of trans rights activism. And 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:24.200 they're going to explain today a little bit of what 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.400 trans Rescue is, what Eden Houses, and the threats and 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:29.560 attacks that they've been facing in the last couple of 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:33.440 days here and so preaps and you could explain what 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:36.360 Eden House is. And I think I really liked in 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:38.600 the website where you explain the difference between like a 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.080 heidie hole and a haven. So if you could get 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:45.400 into that, that that would be wonderful. Sure, um uh Eden 0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:50.680 House is a uh, there's a trans haven in in Kenya. 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:56.040 It's our primary mission is that we helped trans people 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:00.920 escape from dangerous places. That implies that we help them 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:03.440 go somewhere, because of course they have to have a 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:08.479 safe place to go too, which means we often end 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:12.800 up renting an apartment short term or doing something like 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.880 that while they get established in their new place. The 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:21.039 problem and of course that that was getting expensive in 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:25.320 Kenya where we can move a lot of people because 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:28.440 some areas of Kenya are quite dangerous but the major 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:32.520 cities are not quite so dangerous, so we move people 0:01:32.560 --> 0:01:36.520 into the major cities. But we were trying to be 0:01:36.600 --> 0:01:41.360 efficient and save money, and uh, we thought about making 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:47.960 a kind of temporary doss house or a place with 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:52.200 bunk beds to the ceiling and what happen. But we 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.080 realized that would still cost his money and it wouldn't 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:59.680 be a very positive experience or affirming experience for the 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:04.320 folks living in it. And we realized for that we 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:09.120 could instead do a trans haven. That is a place 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:12.799 where a person could come and if they chose never leave, 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:15.800 live there the rest of the life if they want. So, 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:24.200 when someone comes to Eden House and expect to receive 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:31.440 help to find some income producing activity, and as time 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.400 goes on, they will eventually be expected to contribute to 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:38.400 the running of the house. Our plan is we just 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:41.160 started a month ago, but our plan is by about 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.520 the end of the year to have the house no 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:48.079 longer be requiring funds from us, and then we can 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:52.080 do it again. Yeah, we have space freight people. When 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.240 we get up to eight and it doesn't look like 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:58.160 it's going to bleed us dry, we can do it again. 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:00.800 And we can and in the end, we end up 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:03.840 with something that I think many trans people in any 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:08.760 country would love to have, because that's uh, you know, 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.880 that's something as long as I've been around, there have 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:15.360 been many discussions of building such places. Yeah, it's it's 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:19.200 a very admirable project. And I know Gary and I 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:22.639 just used to be Tenacious Unicorn Ranch. I've been before, 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:26.239 and it's really powerful to see like how empowering those 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:30.600 spaces are and how they can help people. So I 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.120 can see that you set up in Kenya. Was there 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:36.320 a reason that you picked Kenya? It was that it 0:03:36.400 --> 0:03:38.760 was was a very large trans community there or something 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:43.400 that led you to uh, frankly, in in such places, 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:51.720 people often have um uh there is the old queer Uh. 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:56.840 I know somebody who knows somebody a lot system and 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:01.240 people have kind of webs of trust and as a result, 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:05.440 where we get people coming from to ask us to 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:08.840 move them, it is very irregular. Uh. There are some 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:12.680 countries we never hear from, and we certainly know there 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.280 are queer people there. We know the conditions are bad 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:19.039 and would you know, and we'd be happy to move people, 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:22.760 but we don't have a lot of penetration. And others 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:27.360 like Kenya. We're in the network and people are telling 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:33.560 giving each other are uh contact info. UM. Also, we 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:38.279 have some capabilities we had built up kind of center there, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:42.360 so we decided to focus on Kenya. Kenya is relatively 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.400 easy to get into as for as visas and so on, 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:49.480 and so UM it's a place we can send people 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:53.400 when they when we might have trouble getting them into 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.599 uh say Europe or the United States. Um, we can 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:03.800 with and so we're perfectly happy to end up with 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:07.400 lots of folks. Would like to make the place attractive 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:10.280 enough that it's also a place that we even have 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:17.039 people coming who aren't particularly in immediate danger. We'd be 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:23.040 We're working from a philosophy of abundance that we want 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:26.560 to grow and we have a rule of we don't 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:28.560 want to make a place that we wouldn't want to 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:33.440 live ourselves. And honestly, Eden House is a nice place. 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:38.960 It was the personal home of of a rather wealthy family. 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.719 It's looks nice. Sorry, would you maybe like to describe 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:45.760 for us at your experience at the house what it's 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.560 like and how places like this are important so that 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:52.120 people can understand. Maybe if you could start with how 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:54.760 you became aware of the Eden House and that that 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:57.679 this was an option that was available to you. Okay, 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:03.279 so um I met um um we got in touch 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.680 with Anne Ali this uh this year, yes, Aliceia around 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:13.680 February generally, if I'm not wrong, so um we if 0:06:13.720 --> 0:06:16.440 that was before Eden was formed. So we really had 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:19.520 a long discussion on us moving from where we are 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:22.239 were at the coast and things were really really brutal 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:24.839 at the coast side of Kenya, like we were going 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:27.320 a lot of stress, even lost to one of our friends, 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.840 and um, yeah, it wasn't really good. It was really bad. 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.159 So yeah, we had a discussion about moving to um 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:37.880 to Eden House and that it was a working progress. 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:43.080 So we took some time working on that. So eventually 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:47.360 it happened and so we came to Eden House and 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:49.880 it's a very beautiful place. I would agree with that. 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:53.920 Um yeah. And yeah, and also flew all the way 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:56.720 to hear because we were new here and there were 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:01.320 some things that we needed done. And yeah, we are 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:05.800 three of us currently in Eden House. Um I got 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:09.239 in touch with Anne and the rest of the team. 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:14.480 There was dooris on board. Actually she's the person who 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:19.120 was like you know, responsible for the Malindi team. And yeah, 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.360 the two sisters that I have like okay, they're my 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:25.240 sisters because we've been through a lot of help together. 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:29.400 So yeah, um, we come all away from Malindi. Also 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:35.160 we are here together and so far. Um when we 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:40.240 got here, Um, the place it's very beautiful, but just 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:43.280 needed a little you know here and their decoration and 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:47.679 you know, clarifications and modifying and you know, precusuals were 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:55.600 by you know, putting on security lights and the security wires. Yeah, 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:59.480 still somethings need to be upgraded, but you know, um, 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:03.520 we still need to resource for a lot so that 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:06.320 we can have something's being done by So far, so good. 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:13.680 Everything is good. I'd interject that we're trying to foster 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:20.640 a spirit of self sufficiency and so we've been Um, 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:24.840 we've got everybody to make the furniture. The furniture in 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.600 the house has been made by the residents. And we're 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:34.680 starting some various sort of fundraising, you know, our income activities. 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:37.480 We're we've made a chicken coop and we're in the 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:45.600 process of getting chickens, getting chickens and and uh sewing machine. 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:51.240 And one of our residents is a talented artists we're 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.120 going to set her up to have a place to 0:08:54.160 --> 0:08:58.880 sell her artwork. Ah, that's the kind of things we're doing, 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.520 thank you, um all. Yeah, I'm really curious kind of 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.360 on a day to day basis, what are the things 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.120 that you and the other people who are at the 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:13.160 Eden House do in order to like protect yourself, like 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:16.280 when you're going about town, when you're doing errands. Um, 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.400 is there like a degree of operational security that you 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.920 have to keep in mind? Yeah, Actually, we have a 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:26.920 rule whereby we don't go anywhere without letting each other know, 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:31.040 especially if we're going to a long distance UM. Putting 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.440 in mind, we are very new into this area, so 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.480 we don't know a lot of places. So currently we 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:39.520 are just in the house trying to get to understand 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:44.000 a few things. Actually we've been doing um um the 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:46.800 repairing we have. We have a chicken coope at the back. 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:50.679 It's kind of a small um as a small place 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:53.240 whereby we needed to fix some things. So we've been 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:55.920 working on that so that we have the places ready 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:58.720 for the chicken when they're ready to come in. And 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:03.120 also for me have been um going around to see 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:06.080 at least allocate some few places where by you know, 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.640 we can feel safe, like the hospitals. I've been trying 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:12.760 to get in touch with people like around here. I 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:16.880 haven't been easy, but at least now I can say 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:19.719 I can go to an hospital that at least it's 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:23.560 kind of familiar with me. Um. Yeah. We also have 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.640 a place where we buy what are these things that 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.760 the house supplies and all that stuff. We're really trying 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:36.200 as much as possible to like minimize our moving around 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:39.160 from places to places to draw attention. So we're just 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:42.360 trying to go with time and see how people will 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:45.880 accept us existing to these community. So we don't want 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:50.080 to bring any attentions whereby people who start asking questions 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:54.240 like you know, what's happening there? What's not happening there? Yeah? Yeah, 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:56.200 I noticed as well that the house you to belong 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.559 to a politician. It's right, so I has some measures 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:03.319 of external phasicals and purity as well, Yeah, which is good. 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.240 Maybe we can talk about I know, Kenya is a 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:26.600 big country and it differs vastly depending on where you 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:31.640 are and who you're with. How is the climate towards 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.280 trans folks. I haven't been in Kenya for probably ten 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:39.319 fifteen years. How how is the climate towards trans people, 0:11:39.920 --> 0:11:42.880 have things. Have it become like a big topic like 0:11:42.960 --> 0:11:47.000 a culture war thing recently or is it sort of 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.120 can you explain, but I guess what it's like. You're saying, 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.280 it seems like it can be a risk just to 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:55.280 go outside, which is pretty sad. Yeah, yeah, it is. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:58.400 That is to go outside, you know, um here and Kenya, 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:01.360 um in different sites of kind of like at the 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.200 cost Okay, taking example, at the cost side from where 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:06.960 I come from, it's, um, it's really bad for the 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:11.640 trans community because now they're they're very transphobic and homophobic people, 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:14.520 Like most of the transphobic and homophobic people come at 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:19.480 the coast side, because um, these are people that tend 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:23.000 to keep their culture and religious like you know, more 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:26.760 of more of a key thing in in someone's life, 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:29.840 more of like they use they use the Quran and 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.840 the Bible to presus to crititize the trans people and 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:36.920 the gay community. So being in that area, it's very 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.920 very bad and very very risky for trans community. Comparing 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:43.640 to the other side of Kenya, I wouldn't say it's 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:49.200 not risky, but um, their level of understanding of the 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:53.680 trans community and the gay community it's um, it's more 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.800 of an it's more of an away that they're kind 0:12:56.800 --> 0:13:01.000 of confused, not true awhere to understand. But it depends 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:03.319 with also the air that you are, you might find 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:07.240 you end up. For example, now we're eating houses like 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:09.880 for the few for the man that we've been here. 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:13.280 The feedback that I can say I have from the 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:17.679 community around here is they're like more of people that 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:21.360 are come and more of people who are you are 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:25.120 more of used to their own personal things. They don't like, 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:28.360 you know, put their nose into the to the things 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:32.040 that they're not involved with, if you get what I mean. UM, 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:35.760 In other towns um having new people, people who like 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:37.800 you want to know why they're there and do you 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:39.920 know all that stuff. But in this town that we have, 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.680 we are in eating house. It's it's kind of safe 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.520 in a way that people are not putting their nose 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:49.960 in into us, like more of wanting to know about 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:54.880 us rather than they're welcoming us. Moreover, you know, the 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:58.840 landlord is kind of friendly. I would say that the 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:02.040 cubander cuband it's more of a small grocery shops. So 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:04.840 the cubanders around here at the small grocersy show that 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.559 the people who are selling the you know, the groceries 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:11.800 and all that stuff, they're friendly. I haven't. Um, I 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:16.320 haven't in card or you know, engaged or seeing any 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:20.960 transphobic or homophobic reaction towards demand that I've been here. 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:23.920 Most of the people here are much of welcoming, like 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:26.920 I would say that, and uh, yeah, it's really different 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:29.560 from where I come from. Trust me, from the town 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.760 that I come from. You can't walk with makeup or 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.960 with anything that makes you look garish or anything that 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.760 makes you look resemble to a transgender or maybe gay 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:40.760 or something. It will be a bad thing for you 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:44.520 in the day. Yeah, a little bit of the geography 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:50.400 of Kenya. Remember that uh on tenuous coast up in 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:56.560 the north. Uh is the border with small Yea and Um, 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:02.000 so the culture natural and mixes over the order and um. 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.080 This is also an area where lots of folks are 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:09.880 coming over because of the political instability and Somalia, and 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:16.840 it's an area of al Shabab terrorist activity. So so 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:21.040 that makes particularly the north part of the coast rather 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:25.200 dangerous place. Yeah, just if people are interested, I know, 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:27.200 like the State Department sort of has it do not 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:32.200 travel like north of Lama pretty much. So like people 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.080 can sit on the map, but ageah, there are certain 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:38.920 areas where risk would be higher. And fortunately talking of that, 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:43.440 like it it hasn't. There have been some attacks, right 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:48.680 threats against edenhouse in the last couple of days. So 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.600 if either of you would like to explain exactly what 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.200 happened as far as you're comfortable, I think that would 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:58.920 be great. Yeah, let me explain, because I think I'm 0:15:58.960 --> 0:16:04.880 the right passaic in that. So, um there, there, there there, Okay, 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:08.160 this happened when amalz around here. Actually we had an 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:13.360 attack and one of the windows people people breaked into 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:16.880 their house, not inside the house, but inside the compound 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:21.560 and they tried getting in the house. But yeah, thank 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:25.760 god the place has secured doors and windows. But they 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:30.880 took off one of the glass from the window and 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:36.080 they tried to like they had a stick that was 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.320 was was holding um yeah, a magnet on the end. 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:42.640 So they were trying to use the stick with the 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.120 magnet to pull out the keys so that they can 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:49.960 have and clear entrance into the house. But thank god, 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:52.160 we had removed the keys to where we used to 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:55.000 we normally used to put and kept it to somewhere else. 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:57.520 So the keys that we are aware they were targeting, 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:00.120 there were only the keys to the meter box and 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:04.640 the fridge, so they took those and yeah, I presume 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.680 they later realized that they wouldn't go through with those 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:10.200 because we're not the right kids. So the next thing, 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:12.240 we wake up in the morning, the magnet was down 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:15.520 on the floor and we noticed that the window had 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.840 the piece of glass missing. So that was the first 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:24.200 incident that happened. So we reported that to um, to 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:30.240 the to the landlord. And previous day before that happened, 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:35.080 those neighborhood came by and they said that someone tried 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:38.200 to break into their apartment and they were kind of 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:40.960 curious because they never knew if people moved into this 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.080 house or they just wanted to check in what was 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:46.679 going on. And we can we kind of get into like, 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.119 you know, know each other, and that they kind of 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:51.399 gave us a warning and that's why we removed the kids. 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:53.840 And the day when they came, they couldn't get in. 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.760 So yeah, after I left, now this is a recent incident. 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:02.280 That then then the next they came back and found 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.159 a couple of broken windows in the morning, like they 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:07.840 tried to price some windows out and ended up breaking 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:12.880 the glass and gave up. But but yeah, that's so. 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.600 At the time, I think we all just thought of 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:21.400 this as ordinary, you know, theft activity. But it's later incident, 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:28.719 it's pretty unclear, but this maybe more targeted attack. Yeah, 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:32.119 and perhaps it's silly of me to even ask this, 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:34.679 but could you speak of it on what kind of 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:39.800 help you can expect from law enforcement? If any, um, 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.840 I would say, if any, I would say, like, you 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.960 see the place where we are staying, from the law enforcement, 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.239 I would expect that they put some like you know, 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:52.840 the they have a name that they put that that 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.879 that the lights that normally the government's supposed to supply, 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:59.200 like you know, the what's what did they call that? 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:03.719 These lights they normally have to support from Yes, street lights. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:06.680 So the place you're staying, there's no street lights. So 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:10.440 if if if, if if a police was to ask 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.520 me or you know, any security measures that were to 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:16.720 be put, like I would say that they put the 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.280 street lights. Those would help at least there will be 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:23.000 more lights for like you know, that should scare people away, 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:26.720 even if those people are thieves or anything. You see, So, yeah, 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:32.000 that was That's what I would say, Okay, yeah, and 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:35.240 then the two people were hurt in the most recent 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:41.880 sort of activate. Yes, yes, this was the day before yesterday. Okay, 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:46.120 are they doing okay, yeah, they're fine actually, and one 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:49.920 of them I help myself, yes, and one of them 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:52.639 I have my arm injured, but not really deep. The 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:55.760 other one is asleep. She had a really bad injured 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:59.080 back stabbed and you know at the arm also catched 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:05.280 uh eight teachers at the back really bad. Yeah. Sorry, yeah, 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:08.920 that's not good at all. Okay, so that that's not great. 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:15.040 Have you since we attack is like an ongoing aggression 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:21.440 against you, And it seems like someone's targeting the in house, right, um, 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:24.040 if you ask me, I would say it's more of 0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:30.359 targeting the eating house, because, um, I don't understand why 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:33.800 we would only be the only person, like the only 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:37.359 people experiencing the same, the same incident over and over 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:41.320 like the next the next houses. They don't complain in 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:45.520 such incidents like you know, like this guy literally if um, 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:48.360 I'm just picturing the fact that we had to go 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:50.960 out and you know, turn on the machine and we 0:20:51.040 --> 0:20:53.199 saw this guy and he just bumped into us with 0:20:53.240 --> 0:20:55.680 a knife. And catching us all. So I'm just picturing 0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:59.720 if this guy was waiting for, like I'm just seeing it, 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:02.480 he was waiting for more people to come so that 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:05.360 they can attack coming inside the house. Why was even 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:07.960 standing there in the first place? Because we found him 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:10.240 there and he was like he came through me because 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:12.239 I was the one who was in the front. So 0:21:12.520 --> 0:21:15.120 I just keep asking myself, like, why was he standing there? 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:19.240 What was he waiting for? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, And I 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:22.280 point out to get there. To get there, he had 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:30.080 to climb a high stone wall top with razor wire 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:38.760 and get into position without triggering the motion detectors. Yeah, 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:43.560 which is, you know, not impossible to do, but it was. 0:21:44.119 --> 0:22:06.800 But they keep coming back. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm sure 0:22:06.800 --> 0:22:09.119 people listening will be upset by this. Is there a 0:22:09.240 --> 0:22:12.600 way that people can like express the solidarity or support 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:16.560 you financially? Yes, we need funds to keep running the house, 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:20.679 and in fact, the guy escaped through a hole that 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:23.960 was left only because we ran out of razor wire. 0:22:24.440 --> 0:22:28.360 We need funds to keep the project going. We need 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:34.480 funds to also to support our primary work. We're continuing 0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:38.320 to get people out of places like Saudi Arabia. We 0:22:38.400 --> 0:22:41.800 have people we have people who are kind of who 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.240 are in mid travel right now, and we have other 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:49.760 people in the high de holes in dangerous countries, and 0:22:49.840 --> 0:22:51.960 we want to move all those people, and we'd like 0:22:52.080 --> 0:22:56.560 to start right now. We're not even taking new folks 0:22:56.600 --> 0:23:00.520 on because we just have such a backlog. Will very 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:04.560 much like to fix that situation. UM, So for all 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:09.360 these reasons you know, we're doing. We're happy with what 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:13.080 we're doing, but but we do need funds at the moment. 0:23:13.960 --> 0:23:16.639 Let's get into that a little bit. You're the we 0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:21.880 here is trans Rescue, right, yeah, yes, Trans Rescue is 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:25.800 a nonprofit and you're based in Europe and you move 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:30.240 trans people out of dangerous situations. That's correct. We're based 0:23:30.400 --> 0:23:37.040 in Um, we're based in the Netherlands. We're a a sticking, 0:23:38.160 --> 0:23:41.440 which is the in the US that would be a 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:43.720 five oh one C three. We're in a n B 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:48.480 I qualified sticking, which basically is a five O one 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:51.520 C three. Okay, And you were telling us before we 0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:53.320 started the call that you think it costs you about 0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:57.920 twenty euros to move each person. Is that right? Yeah? 0:23:58.040 --> 0:24:02.400 That's the average. Um. The average is probably slightly going 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:06.520 down because of course to move somebody into eden House 0:24:06.680 --> 0:24:11.240 from the coast might be as cheap as uh eighty 0:24:11.320 --> 0:24:13.600 bucks to send them a ticket and then a few 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:19.000 hundred dollars of settling them in eden House. On the 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:25.520 other hand, getting people out of Saudi oftentimes means not 0:24:25.720 --> 0:24:29.360 only flying of them, but sometimes flying our own personnel 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:36.840 in and out on um often kind of crazy roots. 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:40.800 So a person might find themselves a long way from 0:24:40.840 --> 0:24:45.320 either Saudi or where they're finally going to end up. 0:24:45.880 --> 0:24:49.880 And as a result, and then so yeah, we end 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:53.159 up having to spend a lot on plane tickets and 0:24:53.200 --> 0:25:01.240 then we also sometimes this takes months, we play paperwork games. Um, 0:25:01.359 --> 0:25:07.800 we are not people smugglers, but but we certainly are 0:25:07.840 --> 0:25:12.200 helping people get to a country where they can actually 0:25:12.320 --> 0:25:17.359 claim asylum for the most part, which means, um, you know, 0:25:17.400 --> 0:25:23.240 and successfully claim asylum, and that often means manipulating edge 0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:27.480 cases in the international travel system. Yeah, yeah, that makes 0:25:27.480 --> 0:25:28.919 a lot of sense. I can see whether would be 0:25:28.960 --> 0:25:32.400 expensive and complicated. Yes, so it's great that people can 0:25:32.440 --> 0:25:34.840 donate to you. That is there anything like I noticed 0:25:34.880 --> 0:25:37.040 you were asking before for some mutual aid help with 0:25:37.160 --> 0:25:39.479 your pr Is that something you still need? Look at 0:25:39.480 --> 0:25:41.280 the things people can do. Maybe they don't have the 0:25:41.400 --> 0:25:45.840 means today. We were a small organization, We're not very large, 0:25:46.080 --> 0:25:49.760 and we actually are just cranking up our pr operation. 0:25:50.280 --> 0:25:53.200 Um we could use a press list, we could use 0:25:53.920 --> 0:26:00.800 we could also use amplification from organizations with more kind 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:06.119 of online cloud. We're basically a little group of people 0:26:06.280 --> 0:26:10.119 and for two years we operated as an informal group 0:26:10.240 --> 0:26:14.720 of of activists. We realized that was probably not ideal 0:26:14.920 --> 0:26:19.639 for this very serious work we're doing, and so last 0:26:19.640 --> 0:26:25.320 December we reorganized as a proper sticting But yeah, help 0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:29.240 with boosting our signal at the moment would be very useful. 0:26:29.840 --> 0:26:34.639 Anyone who can, you know, can spread the word of 0:26:34.680 --> 0:26:37.400 what's happened at you now, so we would be very 0:26:37.480 --> 0:26:42.520 much appreciative. Yeah, well we can definitely do that. Hopefully 0:26:42.600 --> 0:26:46.040 effects come to It's just so people can find you. 0:26:46.119 --> 0:26:49.879