Launch Lavender Education

Hi there! Thank you for sharing your time and energy to consider supporting this lifelong dream in progress. My name is Kimm Topping (they/them) and I've been working in LGBTQIA+ education and youth work for over a decade. I'm asking for your support to launch a national education program that is focused on bringing LGBTQIA+ history and education to people of all ages, builds the confidence of educators to create inclusive classrooms and schools, and works alongside youth leaders to support their activism and advocacy.

Queer and trans people are being targeted across the country, especially in education. Our communities face significant violence and one of those harms is silence and erasure in education. Over 220 bills have been proposed or passed limiting the rights of queer and trans students in this year alone, according to the ACLU.

Queer and trans youth deserve full access to their education and childhoods. To speak and be heard. To reach out to a supportive adult and know that they will be affirming and provide the best resources possible. To be free from violence or discrimination. To know our community's long and meaningful history, and know that you are not alone in who you are. When these needs are met, it can be transformative and life-giving. Can you support a team of caring and experienced trans educators as we work to reach as many people as possible in the upcoming 6 months?

Lavender Education plans to do these things by the Fall of 2023:

We're asking for your support to get this started! Our goal is $150,000 by December so we can hire staff and fund ten youth leaders.

This work will be inclusive of the entire LGBTQIA+ community with a necessary focus on trans experience, history, and joy.

I'd love to talk to you more about this work and what Lavender Education plans to do if you're considering making a gift or sharing. Thank you friends.

FAQ

Is Lavender Education a non-profit?

No. Lavender Education will be registered as an LLC in the summer of 2023. After over 12 years of working in non-profits, I understand the barriers of non-profits and the annual cycle of financial uncertainty. There is limited funding for trans-led non-profits already and we don't intend to take up any space or resources in that. Lavender Education will support youth-led and BIPOC-led non-profits through donations and mutual aid.

Above its core mission to reach people across the country with LGBTQIA+ inclusive education, Lavender Education is committed to paying trans people well for their time, expertise, and emotional labor. My hope is to promise trans professionals financial security so they can focus on their health and well-being.