LGBT Activism, Charities, Political Actions:A Community Resource

[Admin]

Hello All,

We need your help

Eight months ago when we started this site, we had a loose gameplan to get up and running, implement some new ideas, and eventually expand the social model of our website to include a scholarship and support component.
The time has come for us to start laying the groundwork for how we want to proceed with that. I would love to have some community input and involvement in this process.

Essentially, after all the bills are paid for this website (which includes hosting, domains, software, Reunion costs, taxes, etc), we would like to look at the funds that are available and allot a percentage toward scholarships and grants within this community as well as donations to organizations that will directly impact the larger LGBTQIA community.

I would like to start a resource list to do that.

Many of you may not know this but ButchFemmePlanet.com, with your support, made its first charitable donation to the National Center for Lesbian Rights back at the beginning of May.
(will be reflected for May's financials and will have those up in the next few days)

I am interested in organizations that have a specific LGBTQIA focus. (ex: LAMBDA Legal, NCLR, etc. Not organizations like PETA or The Salvation Army).
They can be National or Local but need to have 501c3 non-profit status. We are also looking specifically to support organizations that focus on differently-abled individuals, individuals of color, individuals who have been the victim of a hate crime, domestic violence awareness, youth communities and other initiatives that will benefit the under-served communities.

If you would like to help, please post in this thread and include the following information:
Name of Organization, Contact info or website, a brief synopsis of their work, any personal experiences you have had with them, why you think ButchFemmePlanet.com should make a donation to them in the name of this community, and any other information that you feel might help us with our decision.

We can't make any promises yet about the size of any donations or specifics about who we will donate to. This is an information-gathering time and hopefully will also become a community resource to help other folks see opportunities to support this community, as well as the LGBTQIA at large.

I am also interested in hearing from individuals who have experience with 501c3 charities, grant proposals, and technical writing as ButchFemmePlanet looks toward our own future and the possibility of forming our own 501c3.

Again, we are merely gathering information right now and will keep the community in the loop on any decisions that we make. We will also have an open discussion platorm at the upcoming Reunion and continuing discussion in the financial threads area for any members interested in the process.

Thanks so much for your continued love and support,
Admin

[Nat]

Omg y'all are so freaking awesome I could squeel.

[Andrew, Jr.]

I want to hug Jack, and kiss Medusa! You are my heroes! I love you both so much!

[Dylan]

How awesome. Y'all rock.


Dylan...wearing his cheerleading outfit

[Admin]

Originally Posted by Dylan

How awesome. Y'all rock.


Dylan...wearing his cheerleading outfit

THAT should be worth a huge donation to some organization on its own

[Random]

Sigh.. Lovely..


Being that we are an international community.. I was wondering how we would go about donating to an international program..

I like the idea of giving resources to a youth program...

Something like Iglyo

International gay/lesbian/bi/transgenderedand queer

[SuperFemme]

Mission Statement

The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities. Every day we connect transgender people and their families to technically sound and culturally competent legal services, increase acceptance and enforcement of laws and policies that support California's transgender communities, and work to change laws and systems that fail to incorporate the needs and experiences of transgender people.

TLC utilizes direct legal services, public policy advocacy, and educational opportunities to advance the rights and safety of diverse transgender communities. TLC uses the term "transgender" to represent all of the innumerable genders and forms of gender expression that fall within and outside of stereotypical gender norms. TLC also understands, acknowledges, and resists non-gender based oppressions which limit people's ability to live in peace.

History

TLC, begun in 2002 as a fiscally sponsored project of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, is California's first fully staffed, state-wide transgender legal organization. We were created, with early support from NCLR, Pride Law Fund, and the Echoing Green Foundation, to respond to the overwhelming discrimination that transgender people and their families face in nearly every institution in California. In the spring of 2005, we became an independent, tax-exempt organization.

Since we opened our doors in 2002, TLC has provided individualized legal information to between 750 and 1,000 community members and their families each year. Annually, we work directly with about 150 people who need more direct representation or advocacy. For example, we regularly work with clients who are: going to court to get recognition of their name and/or gender; filing asylum applications; trying to prevent or address workplace discrimination; protect their families; access complete and competent health care; respond to discrimination in the criminal justice system; or fix problems at their school. You can find out about getting help here.

TLC has also increased the community's capacity to respond to discrimination by holding more than 400 transgender law workshops providing legal information to community members and their families, attorneys, government employees, and other social service providers. TLC has also produced one of the nation's most complete libraries of original transgender rights and advocacy materials and distributed them in both paper and electronic form to thousands of community readers. You can see our list of publications in English here and in Spanish here.

In addition to our direct service and public education work, TLC is involved in significant, socially transformative public policy initiatives. In the past, we've worked to: draft and pass local and state anti-discrimination ordinances; help school districts create policies to protect transgender students; helped health care providers improve their services to transgender clients; and, worked with building owners and managers on issues related to public restroom access. Find out more about our ongoing projects here.

Everyday, we're working hard to make sure California is a state in which everyone, regardless of our gender identity, can fully participate. We have a long way to go to transform the state into a place where we are all proud to live, but with your help and support we know we can get there.

Donate

Each year the Transgender Law Center provides direct legal services to over 750 transgender people and their families throughout California. Another 1,200 people attend our transgender law workshops and thousands more are affected by our institutional change programs. And as one of only a handful of transgender civil rights organizations in the country, our work has a national impact. We believe that TLC is well positioned to expand on these and other successes in this coming year. If you believe in equality and dignity for all, please join me in investing in this work. With your help, we can leverage unprecedented opportunities to advance civil rights throughout California and the nation.

Every Gift to TLC Makes a Difference!

Your gift of….
$50 will help us purchase materials and supplies to conduct trainings throughout California, such as our Transgender Law 101 training.

$5 per month helps us pay for the day to day office supplies that are needed to file court cases, print information books, and mail name change forms.

$100 will support one month of our free "advice and counsel" helpline, serving almost 1,000 people a year.

$20 per month will cover monthly costs for a teleconference line to convene community members throughout California to plan legislative hearings to address school safety and prisoner rights.

$500 will purchase a new desktop computer for one of our new staff members.

$1,000 will cover the design, printing, and distribution of new fact sheets to help community members with issues related to asylum, Medi-Cal coverage, and identity-change documents.

$1,200 (or $100 per month) would cover the cost of purchasing a database to mobilize members and communicate with donors.

[Admin]

Another great suggestion, SF!

[Soon]

The first one that came to my mind (and personally affects us) was Immigration Equality. There are thousands (over 30 000 couples I read at one point) of LGBTQ people who are affected (separated, living in exile, living illegally) due to DOMA preventing USA folks to sponsor their partners for immigration. This organization helps couples who are facing discrimination on a variety of immigration fronts including asylum seekers, trans issues, and those affected with HIV.

Immigration Equality

Mission Statement:

Immigration Equality is a national organization that works to end discrimination in U.S. immigration law, to reduce the negative impact of that law on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive people, and to help obtain asylum for those persecuted in their home country based on their sexual orientation, transgender identity or HIV-status. Through education, outreach, advocacy, and the maintenance of a nationwide network of resources, we provide information and support to advocates, attorneys, politicians and those who are threatened by persecution or the discriminatory impact of the law.

Our Members:

Our members come from every continent in the world and are deeply affected by the issues we address. Members include asylum seekers and asylees, partners in binational same-sex couples, transgender immigrants, immigrants living with HIV or AIDS, and the friends and families of anyone affected by immigration discrimination. Members receive our monthly e-bulletin with valuable information about immigration issues, along with invitations to special events and community forums. Most importantly, members provide crucial support for the work of Immigration Equality. All donations to Immigration Equality are fully tax deductible.


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Thanks for the donation to NCLR which is a fantastic organization who has done so much for our community!

[Admin]

GREAT suggestion, HSIN!