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Why did Sai fake kidnapping? Ohio Black trans woman apologizes in video and says 'I knew it was wrong'

'Who I want to apologize to are Black trans women. I know this affects mostly Black trans femmes,' said Sai who raised money on GoFundMe

Sai, a Black trans woman from Ohio who reportedly faked her kidnapping and raised money on GoFundMe, issued a nearly 40-minute-long apology video on Friday before promptly removing it. Sai was earlier reported missing on the Internet. Subsequently, Sai was accused of lying about the ordeal.

In the apology video, Sai repeatedly acknowledged accusations and admitted to wrongdoing. Sai said, “I knew it was wrong,” adding, “I'm not gonna come to you crying or asking for forgiveness, because I don't need your forgiveness. I don't need anyone’s forgiveness. I just need to clear my name and say my part." 

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Sai then spoke about the lack of support from the family from a very young age. “Being on your own since 16, you don't develop the best ways of love,” Sai said, adding that she built coping mechanisms that “just seem very, very bizarre to other people.” Sai also said it’s crucial to know that what she faked is still true for many Black trans women out there.

“It wasn’t a lie, because as a Black trans woman, I've been in these situations. I’ve been in the most dangerous situations with men. It wasn’t a lie, per se. It was definitely a delayed emotional response... It was also a cry for help, a cry for reassurance.”

Sai, however, apologized to those who were dragged into the drama. “Who I want to apologize to are Black trans women. I know this affects mostly Black trans femmes. And despite what anyone might say, Black trans women deserve money. We deserve funds. We deserve to live lives where we have our resources. We deserve to not be afraid to leave our house,” Sai said.

Sai has a GoFundMe account that identifies her as a “Black trans woman managing this fundraiser for my facial feminizing surgeries, gender reassignment, and various living expenses.” This fund, the page reads, will help “take the next steps into my transition, as well as put my gender dysphoria at bay”. At the time of writing this report, the page clocked $49,192 in donations -- though as per reports, the page showed close to $53,000 on Wednesday. The page now mentions that “The organizer has disabled new donations to this fundraiser at the moment.”

Following the accusations of faking the kidnapping, Sai in the video also addressed allegations that this was a “ploy” to get money through the GoFundMe campaign. “Scam is a strong word,” Sai said. “Nothing that I said about my life was a lie.”

When Sai's name first began trending on Twitter, a post was shared by several people. The post read: "Sai is a young Black trans femme who is at an increased risk of facing violence and has been kidnapped and is in the Cincinnati Ohio area. on their Instagram story, Sai posted a quick video in the dark and said 'tall, 40-50 Latino male, about 5'10, please I'm in Cincinnati Ohio, I'm in the basement he could be back any second please help'. Police aren't doing enough. Keep using and spreading the hashtag and keep putting pressure on police to prioritize getting them to safety.! #FindSai."