<div><strong>Our Story: Refocusing on Youth Empowerment, Education, and Queer History</strong>
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<div>Hi there, and thank you for taking the time to consider supporting our mission. My name is Kimm Topping (they/them), and for over a decade, I've been dedicated to LGBTQIA+ education and youth advocacy. <strong>Two years ago, we launched this fundraiser with the goal of supporting queer and trans youth leaders</strong>, and we were fortunate to raise $1,500—an incredible start! Since then, we've spent time exploring new ideas, connecting with the community, and building partnerships with local groups. Now, we’re coming back to our original mission with even more determination, ambition, and clarity.
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<div><strong>Our work is more urgent than ever. </strong>Queer and trans people are under attack across the country, and our communities, especially our youth, are bearing the brunt of this. With almost<strong> 600 bills this year alone aimed at restricting the rights of queer and trans people </strong>(according to the ACLU), it's clear that education, history, and community support are more essential than ever.
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<div><strong>Our Renewed Mission:</strong>
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<div>We are refocusing on the goals that inspired our start—funding youth activists and creating platforms for queer/trans history, education, and creative expression. Here's what we're working toward:
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<div><strong>Youth Queer History Institute in Boston: </strong>A program designed to empower and fund young activists by providing them with the skills, mentorship, and resources needed to make lasting change. Young fellows will receive a stipend and be trained to lead historic walking tours and other educational programming.
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<div><strong>Free Physical Newspaper:</strong> A community-driven publication featuring local queer and trans writers, artists, and activists, dedicated to preserving and amplifying queer/trans history. Local artists and writers will be paid for their work.
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<div><strong>How to Do Queer History: </strong>Over the past couple years, we've piloted a course that supports community members in learning the skills of queer historians. This March, we're expanding it in partnership with The History Project. We want to offer this course regularly, and provide scholarships. 
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<div><strong>Exhibit on Queer and Trans Youth Activist History:</strong> Collaborating with national archives to curate an exhibit dedicated to highlighting and recognize the impact of queer and trans youth activists.
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<div><strong>Arts and Education Programming:</strong> Offering more free programming for queer and trans people in Boston and NYC, including a writers fellowship, creating spaces for creative expression, mentorship, and community building.
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<div><strong>Why This Work is Critical Now:</strong>
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<div>The current political climate is hostile to queer and trans youth, and the silencing and erasure of our history and voices is part of this violence. Access to inclusive education, free media, and opportunities for leadership development can be life-changing for queer and trans youth, providing them with the tools they need to navigate a world that too often leaves them out. We believe every young person deserves the chance to see themselves reflected in their history, to have their voice heard, and to feel supported in their activism.
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<div><strong>We need your support to make this vision a reality. Your contributions will help us:</strong>
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<li>Fund youth activists and support their advocacy efforts.
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<li>Create a platform for queer and trans youth to tell their own stories.
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<li>Offer free, accessible arts and education programs that uplift marginalized communities.
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<li>Continue to create physical, free media that resists erasure and supports education for all ages.
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<li>Provide necessary, accessible compensation to local artists and writers who struggle with finding funding for their work.
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<div><strong>What's New:</strong>
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<div>While we've made incredible strides over the past two years, <strong>we are now ready to refocus on the heart of our mission: empowering youth, preserving history, and fostering community-based education. We’re more connected, more energized, and more determined than ever to see this vision through.</strong>
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<div><strong>How You Can Help:</strong>
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<div>We're asking for your support as we work to secure the funds needed to get back on track with our mission.
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<div><strong>Our goal is to raise $150,000 in the next 12 months to jumpstart this work, hire staff, commission artists, and fund youth leaders. </strong>We know it’s a big ask, but with your help, we can make a real impact. <strong>Can you help us raise $12,500 each month in 2025?</strong>
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<div>We are committed to supporting the entire LGBTQIA+ community, with a necessary focus on trans and queer youth, their experiences, and their joys. Your donation will directly help make this work possible.
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<div>Thank you for considering supporting us, and please reach out if you want to learn more about how we can work together to create a world where queer and trans youth thrive.
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Gilda Bruckman

Kelly Blumenthal

Anonymous

Barbara Kanter

Carol Maglitta

Yvonne Wingard

Samantha Maddaloni

Ames Cary Goldberg

Benjamin Chisam

Avery Barry

Molly Wexler-Romig

Cathy Couture

Angela Diliberto

Camila Gutierrez Plata

Sustain Lavender Education

Sustain Lavender Education

Still $148,500 to go. Help us build momentum.