Image Source: Getty / David Crotty / Patrick McMullan
On March 31, in honor of Trans Day of Visibility, Ariana Grande launched a fund to protect and defend trans youth. Created in collaboration with donation platform Pledge, the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund supports and empowers nonprofits providing direct services to and advocating for the rights of trans youth. “Right now there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” she wrote in her announcement.
All donations will be split evenly among 18 different trans-advocacy organizations, including Equality Florida, the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, Gendernexus, House of Tulip, and the Zebra Coalition. The fund has a set goal of $1,500,000, with Grande committing to matching all donations up to that amount.
The fund comes at a time when trans people are under legislative attack, with Republican politicians making gender-affirming health care for minors illegal; limiting participation in school sports; and, most recently, passing Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms. Donate to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund here.