Ariana Grande Joins Fight Against Anti-Trans Legislation
Singer Ariana Grande has pledged to match all donations to a fund she's set up to help support pro-transgender organizations.
Singer and actress Ariana Grande has taken steps to support transgender youth as the tide of anti-trans legislation continues to rise across the United States. Using more than just her words, Grande has established a donation page where she pledges to match the total amount donated “up to $1.5 million.”
As of Monday, April 11, around 5,500 people had donated to Grande’s “Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund,” raising over $722,000 for trans-supportive organizations.
“Right now, there are hundreds of bills pending in state legislatures across the United States that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” Grande writes on her donation page. “The impact of fighting these anti-trans bills and policies is felt all year by trans people, their families and loved ones.”
The money will be going to a variety of LGBTQ organizations throughout the U.S. that are dedicated to providing essential services to LGBTQ individuals.
Some of the organizations listed by Grande on the donation page are the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, Equality Florida, One Iowa, Our Spot KC, the Tennessee Equality Project, and the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance, among others.
In an Instagram post published by Grande on March 31, she emphasized that the money will be split evenly between each organization. In total, 18 organizations were listed on the fundraiser page — leaving around $166,667 per group should the entire $3 million be donated.
Grande’s move to support transgender and LGBTQ people in general comes as “hundreds of disgraceful bills” that “target transgender youth and aim to curb their rights.” State legislatures all over the U.S. have introduced or passed bills that are designed to limit transgender individuals’ rights. While the most high-profile cases of such bills being pushed through state governments are Texas and Florida, several other states have quietly followed in their footsteps.
This donation match from Grande, which has the potential to be $3 million in total, could provide a solid chunk of change for the LGBTQ organizations leading the opposition to these bills. While the work of these organizations has seemed to be somewhat effective – with both Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Indiana Governor Holcomb vetoing bills that were discriminatory towards LGBTQ individuals – there is still much to be done.
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