A trans Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student was kicked out of student housing after his parents cut him off financially due to his gender identity. But the community rallied around him, and a fundraiser to keep Matthew N. both housed and in school has reached almost $90,000 (and counting) as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Matthew’s parents cut off their financial support after discovering he is transgender,” Matthew’s friend, Irene Dong, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Since then, he has worked multiple jobs, maxed out on loans, and exhausted every option to stay afloat. Our goal is to raise money to fund his senior year’s tuition and housing, to allow him to graduate this spring.”

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Dong explained that Matthew is ineligible for financial aid because the school bases its offerings on parental financial status.

“Despite submitting statements from therapists, psychiatrists, and an organization supporting LGBTQ+ students without parental support (the Wily Network), his appeals for independent financial status have been repeatedly denied,” Dong said.

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Dong went on to share that Matthew received an email last week giving him seven days to vacate his dorm since his financial limitations prevented him from being fully registered for classes.

“For the past year, Matthew has been living in limbo, technically unable to register as a full-time student,” Dong wrote. “This has barred him from officially registering in classes, from receiving his grades, and even from filling out timesheets to be paid for the hours that he worked at MIT jobs. Further, this spring, Matthew’s health insurance was canceled by MIT without any notice – he only found out when he went to the pharmacy to pick up medication.”

But Dong noted that Matthew has continued to attend classes, conduct research, and do all of his assignments, maintaining a 4.7 GPA in the process. “His professors work with him to progress him forward, in the hope that his registration status can be resolved.”

Dong said that Matthew can back-register for classes if he can pay off his balance, which would allow him to graduate on time in the spring. Dong set a goal of $81,075 based on a cost breakdown of Matthew’s needs — in only a few days, the fundraiser has exceeded that.

“I have known Matthew for three years, and I can personally say that he is one of the kindest, most generous, and most amazing people I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Dong wrote.

“I have watched him struggle for years against his family and with MIT Student Financial Services – towering forces that do not care for his health or his future, but nonetheless wield an immense degree of control over his life. He balances this struggle while doing his classes, research, and jobs,” Dong continued.

“Through all this, Matthew still manages to find time for all the people in his life. He bakes us cakes on our birthdays. He listens to us vent about our troubles. He is always there to give advice to anyone who asks, even through the enormous challenges he himself faces. Even one of the parents who visited our dorm remembered Matthew as the only student who sweetly thanked her for cooking a meal for them. He has always been a bright spot of humor and hope, and now we wish to return the favor,” Dong added.

Matthew commented on the fundraiser thankging everyone for donating. “I’m amazed at how many people have come together to support me!” he said.

“I am in awe of the immense kindness and generosity of everyone who donated, reached out, and helped to spread my story. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I am incredibly excited to graduate!”

He lamented that he did have to move out of his dorm on Monday morning but that he is safe and has a temporary place to stay.

“I’m in the process of late registering for the fall and the spring, and I am still keeping up with my classes. It looks like I am on track to graduate this May,” he said. He added that now that he has met his fundraising goal, additional donations will go to paying down his existing loans.

Matthew’s experience is far from unique. A recent survey found that only 31% of trans adults say their parents accept them. According to the Rainbow College Fund, transgender students receive familial financial support for school at a rate 17% lower than cis/hetero students. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual students receive this support at 12% lower rates than their cis/hetero counterparts.

But as the National College Attainment Network explained, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system “assumes every student has a financially supportive, cooperative family, reinforcing a narrow ideal of the nuclear household. For students navigating rejection, estrangement, or emotional harm, this assumption can lead to added stress, uncertainty, and isolation.”

It is also very difficult to meet the threshold for what is called a “dependency override,” as evidenced by Matthew’s experience.

LGBTQ+ people in the United States also tend to face greater overall economic and financial disparities compared to their straight peers, often driven or exacerbated by experiences of discrimination.

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