NOTE: This article was written by Ria Ireland Drane, a supporter of the Campaign for Southern Equality.
2023 was an extremely challenging year to be a transgender person living in the South. It felt like our dignity and inherent value were being debated endlessly in state legislatures and in the media – and the brunt of the attacks were falling on trans young people. As a therapist that works with our community in Georgia, I saw the impact firsthand – and I knew that I wanted to do more to do everything I could to support transgender youth.
That’s why I worked with my friend Azeal to host a weekend-long charity stream on YouTube last spring for the Campaign for Southern Equality’s Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP). At a moment when queer and trans people across the South faced unprecedented attacks, I loved how CSE was providing support in a way I haven’t seen from any other organization – by helping families on a personal, 1-on-1 level to identify out-of-state healthcare options and providing no-strings-attached emergency grant funding of $500 for each impacted youth.
Together, Azeal and I worked with dozens of content creators to host a program called Transcend VR, a marathon fundraiser where we streamed in VR and talked about a wide range of topics, including our strong support for trans youth. Our community really showed up, and we raised nearly $21,000 from 500 individual doors.
Now I’m asking you to contribute to STYEP, too, and experience the motivation that has come from moving funding and hope directly to impacted families. Can you make a donation to support trans youth in the South? Click here to give. The best part? When you give now through the end of December, your gift will be DOUBLED, up to $50,000.
Here are just a few of the sweet messages that poured in through our Tiltify fundraiser from donors who were contributing $200, $75, $27 and even $5:
- “Thank you so much for all you and everyone else on stream has done for me and my fellow Trans southerners. Y’all given me and my friends resources, and raised so much money that can help save my friends. So from the bottom of my heart thank you.”
- “This is all I can give for now. Thanks for your work to help trans people in the South.”
- “One more donation, why not? Thank you for this event and all of your guests have been educational, inspirational, and hysterical.”
When I give to CSE, I’m helping trans kids access lifesaving healthcare – and that’s something I’m proud to be a part of.
There are so many ways you can support this work, from donating, to volunteering, to organizing a fundraising event. As someone who is deeply connected to a community of queer, trans, and allied folks online, I was able to help organize a virtual fundraising event that raised thousands of dollars – but you can make an impact however it feels right to you.
Remember that the work CSE does truly would not be possible without the support of LGBTQ+ and allied folks like you and me – and I want to invite you to become a part of this community effort. Donate to the Campaign to Southern Equality today, and your gift will be doubled up to $50,000.
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