We are highlighting non-profit organizations supporting LGBTQ+ and BLM because they need our help more than ever.
In the US, there is a huge movement protesting police brutality against the Black community. “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) protests are sweeping across the nation right now. In the UK, trans activists are fighting transphobic author J.K Rowling after she suddenly joined UK’s polarizing trans debate, arguing that trans women are not women. As more people in power continue to adopt white supremacist and/or transphobic worldviews, and that too in the middle of a global uprising for Black lives and Pride month, the Black and LGBTQ+ community need our support more than ever.
We will begin by shining the spotlight on the Black trans community. More than 20 transgender women, like Nina Pop, Layleen Polanco, Riah Milton, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells, Brayla Stone, Merci Mack, Shaki Peters, Draya McCarty, and Bree Black, were all killed in 2020. BLM protesters are now demanding justice for them and standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
My Sistah’s House is a trans-led nonprofit hoping to lift the Black trans community by building 20 'tiny homes' for Black transgender women. Giving Black transgender women, many of whom do not own homes, access to permanent housing helps them, as they are turned away from homeless shelters. Long-term housing solutions may protect Black trans women as the horrifying violence against them spikes.
The Okra Project, based in New York City, is giving free food to Black trans people, as well as raising money for their mental health therapy, in order to mitigate the global food crisis being faced by them. Why is it named The Okra Project? According to The Okra Project’s website, during the forced voyage of enslaved Africans to the Western hemisphere (known as the transatlantic slave trade), their ancestors would sneak okra, a warm-season vegetable, onto captive ships, to plant when they reached land again.
It was founded by Ianne Fields Stewart, who is aiming to meet the needs of Black trans people. The Okra Project, like other trans-led organizations, is trying to protect them against state-sanctioned violence at the hands of police officers and civilians. We need to recognize trans-led organizations working toward change and serving the LGBTQ+ Black community, like this one!
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Black Visions Collective develops powerful strategic campaigns to dismantle systems of violence and dedicating itself to collective Black liberation. This Black-led, trans-focused nonprofit believes all Black lives matter and deserve to thrive, which can be achieved through systems transformation.
They are expanding the power of Black people right now by working with abolitionist organizations amidst the BLM movement. They also developed an environmental justice leadership panel made up of BIPOC. Kandace, who directs the organization, dreams of a world without police where safety is controlled and is led by the Black community.
If you live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, help them out! If you live farther away, donate to their cause here or help spread the word online.
LGBTQ Freedom Fund is a Black-led organization that posts bail for Black and Brown, low-income, LGBTQ+ individuals in jails and immigration detention, securing their liberty and safety amidst the epidemic of LGBTQ+ over-incarceration.
LGBTQ+ youth in detention are 12 times more likely to be sexually assaulted. Sexual minorities are 3x more likely to be jailed.
They cannot afford bail to escape this. What happens after they are in jail is even worse. Their website has plenty of information on what they do and where they have had a direct impact. We are grateful that LGBTQ Freedom Fund exists to fight the disproportionate criminalization of LGBTQ+ folks. Discrimination and poverty are to blame for the cycle of crimes LGBTQ+ people are trapped in. And you can support this cause by donating here!
Trans Women of Color Collective provides opportunities for Black trans women to tell their own stories, uplifting their narratives in a world that would rather erase them. Black trans women are deeply impacted by state-sanctioned violence and need affirming spaces to heal, which Trans Women of Color Collective works to provide through a network of artists, healers, entrepreneurs, and creators.
Trans Women of Color Collective is creating a community that unapologetically supports and cultivates economic opportunities for trans people of color. You can contribute to their visibility campaigns, which include the Healing and Restorative Justice Initiative, Super Princess Saves the Night, Black Trans Health Initiative, and three community funds – Education, Survival, and Wellness. Donate here.
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Black Trans Femmes in the Arts is a fiscally sponsored collective of the Arts Business Collaborative that connects the community of Black trans women and non-binary femmes in the arts. You can make donations to them on BTFA Collective's behalf. These Black trans artists are raising funds to support Black trans protests right now.
They organize rallies, host talk shows featuring trans and non-binary artists, such as Fatima Jamal and Marizol Leyva, as well as open mic nights, and share the words and work of Black trans femmes such as Morticia Godiva, Yasmin Bratz.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, LGBTQ+ community members and leaders are seeking more space in BLM movement. These 6 LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations are standing in solidarity with the Black community. They need our support as they bravely protest right now, despite suffering from lethal violence inflicted on them.
Let’s band together by supporting them in their critical missions to create permanent housing, make free meals, build supportive communities, connect Black trans women and non-binary femmes in the arts and post bail for Black LGBTQ+ people!
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