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Queer Texas Crisis Fund Announcement
Posted on June 3, 2022 at 9:13 am

Contact:  Johnathan Gooch | johnathan.gooch@equalitytexas.org

                          

DALLAS, TX  – May 31, 2022 –  Texas Pride Impact Funds (TPIF) in partnership with Equality Texas Foundation announce that $42,000 of rapid response funding is being distributed to grassroots nonprofits serving trans individuals, their families, and communities. We’re grateful for the support of Gucci, Pure for Men, and TENT who helped make these community-focused grants possible. The partnership is also launching the Queer Texas Crisis Fund (QTCF) 2022 fundraising campaign commencing with the start of Pride Month.

The politically driven attempts to ban lifesaving, affirming health care for trans youth  including the recent DFPS investigations of trans kids and their loving  families have resulted in severe, life-threatening consequences.  Trans-supportive organizations across Texas have seen: 

(1) increased demand for mental health services for trans kids and parents alike; (2) skyrocketing requests of gender marker and name correction services; and (3) parents retreating from trusted online support groups in this climate of parental investigations; and (4) new financial burdens on families for legal defense and the cost of maintaining lifesaving care at significant distances from home.

In response to these accelerating, political attacks on trans youth and their parents, TPIF’s Pride Month activities will focus on honoring people of transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer experience.  The initiative is intended to bring desperately needed resources to small non-profit organizations already working, with minimal resources, and now experiencing compounding duress due to the reckless, politically driven assaults.

“Age-appropriate and individualized medical treatments for trans youth are supported by the state and nation’s largest physicians’ groups including the American and Texas Medical Associations,” said TPIF Executive Director Ron Guillard. “These organizations also oppose Texas’ abuse investigations and other efforts to block or alter gender-affirming care for minors. Sadly, this is just another example of the pattern of some Texas government leaders continuing to deny science, claiming false narratives for political gain. With our Pride Month QTCF 2022 fundraising we are committed to face the urgency to deliver more support to families of trans youth and the non-profits supporting them, and to build a stronger and mightier ecosystem of actors working on LGBTQ+ equality in Texas.”

“Since 2021, anti-LGBTQ+ politicians, including the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general have been laying the groundwork to turn Texans against their LGBTQ+ neighbors. They have found it politically advantageous to spread lies about and villainize LGBTQ+ people—especially transgender people. As a result of this sustained fear-mongering we have seen a marked increase in bias and discrimination across the state that has had serious consequences for LGBTQ+ Texans’ sense of safety and well-being. Grassroots organizations across Texas are providing critical resources that we are happy to support,” said Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez.

QTCF originally launched in the summer of 2020 as an innovative partnership between the two organizations to raise money during the COVID-19 pandemic to support LGBTQ+ serving nonprofit organizations providing emergency relief to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This unique partnership brings together complementary strengths of the two organizations and their collective access to resources. 

“With Equality Texas, we have high hopes for QTCF 2022 fundraising based on donation patterns and donor activism over the past two months. A February Twitter post singling out TPIF’s work in support of the trans community across Texas resulted in a cycle of donations from around the globe. A generous contribution by the Laughing Gull Foundation, Durham NC, to TPIF for our rapid response support of Texas organizations in crisis because of our governor’s and attorney general’s actions cemented our commitment to launch the rapid response awards and follow-on QTCF 2022 fundraising. As a community foundation, Texas Pride Impact Funds is eager to leverage our influence and networks to access more resources, whether given to us for regranting initiatives or where we recommend direct funding needs, as we continually strive to stay abreast of – and help meet – the greatest needs in the LGBTQ+ communities across our large state.”

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About Texas Pride Impact Funds

The Mission of TPIF is to inspire giving and investment to secure equitable opportunities that serve and enrich the lives of LGBTQ+ Texans for generations to come. TPIF was chartered in 2015 as the first LGBTQ+ statewide foundation for Texas. The organization operates under fiscal sponsorship of the Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)(3), publicly supported charity, Federal Tax ID 75-2890371. The Dallas Foundation provides TPIF investment management and other administrative services, helping TPIF leaders and volunteers focus on community and donor engagement.

In November 2018, TPIF launched its annual Community Grants program, awarding $120,000 to sixteen LGBTQ+ supportive organizations across Texas; to date a total of $850,000 grants have been awarded (through March 2022). TPIF prioritizes organizations and projects that address the current and direct needs of LGBTQ+ communities while also seeking to correct the systemic injustices that unfairly burden people living within these identities and at their intersections. TPIF is supported by a growing donor community of individuals and families, corporations, and institutional donors.

About Equality Texas

Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration.