#TransLawHelp and #TransCrowdfund Aim to Help Trans People Navigate Legal Issues
In the few short days since the election, we’ve already seen some incredibly heartbreaking news regarding some of the country’s most vulnerable populations being victimized. While the normalization of such hatred must be stopped with direct intervention and action on all our parts, defense of the people within these populations must also be considered. Here are a few ways through which you can help either yourself and/or others.
As I have said, transgender people in particular face a particularly difficult four, eight, ten, twenty years ahead given the significant ripple effect of Trump’s election on the future.
I’ve already listed a few things trans people can be doing now to help prepare themselves for this administration’s actions, but many people have asked for more information, and more have asked how they can help as allies.
For starters, check out the #TransLawHelp hashtag, created by @dtwps. Thanks to their quick organizational skills, the hashtag’s taken off as an invaluable directory or resource full of people who want to help. Many licensed law professionals around the country have stepped up to help guide trans people through the labyrinthine bureaucratic processes surrounding passport acquisition and name/gender marker changes. What’s more, nearly all of these professionals have offered their help pro bono, at no cost to those who are entering this process.
That being said, there are still fees and costs associated with things like obtaining a passport. For allies who want to help trans people defray the costs of such processes, or trans people who want to ask for help with these things, check out #TransCrowdfund. Folks have been tweeting their personal GoFundMe or other crowdfund accounts to the hashtag, and the response has been very well received. I’m unsure of who exactly started this particular hashtag, so if you have any information, please let me know. (UPDATE: Twitter user @jskylerinc began the #TransCrowdfund hashtag in this Twitter thread.)
Additionally, as an ally, if you want to donate to an organization or cause, might I suggest the Trans Lifeline? As I mentioned in the earlier post, the Trans Lifeline is a suicide prevention hotline specifically geared towards helping trans people deal with the problems that uniquely affect us. According to Mother Jones, suicide hotlines saw a significant spiked increase in call volume since the election, most of which came from LGBTQIA callers. They can absolutely use your help, if not as a volunteer, then through donations.
Right now, trans people, especially trans people of color, need your help. These are the concrete ways through which you can show you support them and want to help them find their way through these impending difficult times.
Again, the very least you can do right now is offer a word of support or encouragement to those who are feeling very affected by what’s going on. Making sure someone knows they’re not alone is critical, and goes a very long way.
If you yourself are looking for a sign right now, here it is: you are not alone. I love you, I care for you, and I want to see us make it through this together.
Take care of yourselves and each other.
(via The Fader, image via Wasan Ritthawon/Shutterstock)
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