Karen is a 20-year-old transgender woman living in Egypt. She is the partner, of Georgina, an intersex refugee from Egypt, who we have been helping since August 2024.
Over the past months, members of her own family have beaten her repeatedly because of who she is. In one attack they broke her arm. They have threatened to kill her and to force her into the army.
When Karen went to the police for protection, they refused to take her report. She was told she could not file a complaint against her own family. She has nowhere left to turn.
Freethinkers International supports Karen through our case management programme. Below, she tells her story in her own words.
Karen's story, in her own words
I am not asking for a life of luxury. I am asking for the chance to live, to feel safe, and to exist without being afraid of the world around me.
My name is Karen. I am still young, but I have already lived through more fear and pain than I thought one person could carry.
People say childhood is the happiest time of your life. When I look back at mine, I don't see a safe home. I remember fear. I remember feeling helpless. I remember things no child should ever go through.
Living in fear of being myself
In Egypt, being transgender can mean living every day with a fear that other people may never understand. Something as simple as expressing who I am can expose me to humiliation, rejection and danger. I have to think carefully about how I speak, how I dress, and how much of myself I dare to show. Sometimes it feels as though the world is asking me to choose between being honest about who I am and staying safe.
When home does not feel safe
Home is supposed to be the one place where a person can rest without fear. But what happens when the people you live with are the ones you fear most? The pain of being rejected, threatened and hurt by your own family leaves wounds that nobody sees. I long for a life in which I do not have to be afraid of the people around me, or wonder whether showing my true self will put me in danger.
The loneliness behind my smile
There are days when the hardest part of my life is something people cannot see. It is the loneliness of carrying fears I do not always know how to explain. It is watching other people live freely while I struggle to imagine a future in which I can do the same. Sometimes I wish someone could look beyond the labels society places on me and simply see a human being who deserves kindness, safety and love.
My future should not be a luxury
I want to live in a body and a life that feel right for me. I want access to appropriate medical care, the freedom to express my identity, and the chance to build a future without constantly worrying about my safety. I want to be with the person I love, without fear. These are not extravagant dreams. They are basic needs that many people take for granted. Financial hardship and the circumstances I live in make them feel painfully distant, and I cannot reach them alone.
I am asking for a chance
It is hard to explain how painful it is to ask strangers for help when all you want is to live safely. I never imagined I would have to share the most vulnerable parts of my life with the world just to ask for a way forward. But staying silent will not make my struggles disappear.
I am sharing my story because I need help to reach a safer place, get the support I need, and build a future where fear does not control every decision I make.
Every donation, every share, and every person who takes the time to listen brings that future a little closer. I am not asking anyone to solve my entire life. I am asking not to be left alone while I try to change it.
Thank you to everyone who listens, shares my story or contributes. Your kindness means more than words can express.
Karen
The funds go toward:
- travel costs to a safe country
- temporary safe accommodation
- medical care
- basic living costs during the transition
Freethinkers International manages all donations. Our team has documented her case and reviewed medical evidence of her injuries. To protect her, we do not share her full name, her location or photos.
Your gift brings Karen closer to a life without fear, whatever its size. If you can't give, sharing this page also helps.
Freethinkers International is a project of the id Fix Foundation, a charity registered in the Netherlands (RSIN 816885771)