Update from Austen, 2/9/24:

Oh my gosh, thank you so much to everyone who's donated over the last few weeks! I'm truly bowled over by your generosity. Both the tangible support you've shown with your gifts and the emotional support you've provided with small notes and messages has made a world of difference as Ari and I recover from the fire, and as I try to get some rest. Just yesterday we learned that our application for a new apartment has been accepted, and we'll have a place to call home again starting February 24th. Our old apartment is now stable enough for us to go back and start cleaning and packing up our things. Over the next couple of weeks I'll be going back and forth between cleaning/packing and resting, secure in the knowledge that we can see a bit farther down the road, and that we have so many wonderful people in our corner. I can't wait to get settled back down and move into the season of rest and dreaming for the future.

With love,

-Austen

Hi friends,

We’re writing to ask you to join us in raising $10,000 to support our friend, Austen Hartke. You may know him from his book, Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, his YouTube videos, or through his work as the founder and director of Transmission Ministry Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians. 

Austen has generously given his time and resources over the past 10+ years of ministry and we want to give back. Recently, he stepped away from his public roles to take a sabbatical focused on addressing burnout, making room for healing and rest, and discerning what he’s being called to next. Unlike positions in rostered ministry or university settings, there’s no institutional support for sabbaticals within the spaces Austen has been working. Combined with the increasing public and political pressure against trans people, we need leaders like Austen more than ever. But public leadership as a trans person takes a massive toll. We believe it’s vitally important to create room for our leaders to recover.

Additionally, just a few days ago Austen and his wife experienced a fire in their apartment building which has displaced them temporarily, and means that they’ll need to take the next several weeks to clean and repair things damaged by smoke.

That’s where we’re stepping in: We want to remove the stress of finances hanging over Austen’s head during this sabbatical. This $10,000 will go toward helping Austen cover his expenses  (rent, groceries, etc), allowing him to actually rest and seek the care he needs.

We’ve partnered with Koinonia Mutual Aid, an organization dedicated to supporting faith leaders from marginalized communities, to run this fundraiser. All funds will be collected through them and disbursed to Austen as needed with full financial transparency.

If Austen’s work has impacted you, or if you want to support a trans person committed to personal and communal healing during this vitriolic time, please join us in giving whatever you can: https://opencollective.com/koinonia/projects/support-for-austen-hartke. You can also give through Venmo at @austenhartke. Additionally, if there are people in your life who you think may be interested in supporting Austen, feel free to pass this information along.

From Austen’s care team, thank you,

- Laura Jean Truman

- Alicia Crosby Mack

- Matthias Roberts

- Drew Stever

- Hazel Salazar-Davidson