Support The Magic City Acceptance Center Prom

Hi this is Jackie Lo. Substrate Radio along with friends of MCAC need your help to make June another amazing pride month for our city’s most important amazing LGBTQ youth. June, being pride month and Prom at MCAC can really stretch thin resources and we are in a very unique position to help alleviate this strain with just our extra.

As you all know, here in Alabama as well as across the nation these beautiful souls are being attacked from our top political appointees down. I urge you all to take any extra you may have and and throw your support to these wonderful youth.

Now a few words from MCAC founding director, Amanda Keller

“Warmer months at the Magic City Acceptance Center mean that we're preparing for our biggest events of the year. From our annual LGBTQ Youth Prom, and Pride events, to our summer day camp, and more, we're open extended hours and preparing to meet 50-150 new LGBTQ youth, in addition to the 500+ that are already engaged in programs in just 3 short months. This is typically a time of celebration and joy for our community but here in Alabama, we are facing some of the most restrictive and harshest versions of anti-trans youth legislation anywhere in the country. At a time when youth are looking forward to coming out and celebrating their identities, our young people have seen their access to healthcare threatened, their right to use restrooms and locker rooms at school revoked, and “Don’t Say Gay” enshrined into law.

According to a national survey by the Trevor Project at the end of last year, over 66% of LGBTQ youth and 85% of trans and non-binary youth shared that current debates about anti-trans legislation has negatively impacted their mental health. We've seen this data reflected in our virtual programs at MCAC where LGBTQ youth from all across Alabama report feeling near hopelessness about the state of their futures in Alabama. At the same time, they do carry glimmers of hope in the connections they build in community with one another.

Our goal at MCAC is to provide a brave and radically inclusive space for LGBTQ youth and young adults, ages 13-24. In this space, they have an opportunity to be called the name and pronouns they go by, to be seen, validated, supported, loved, and most importantly, to have fun showing up in a space as their authentic self. Summer programs like Prom, Pride, and Summer Camp cost roughly $10,000 and these events are coordinated by only 2 full-time staff. With your support, we could create 3 months of programming that center joy, education and self-advocacy for LGBTQ youth in Alabama!”