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H OL ID AY S E A S O N
TranSanta Launched for Gifts to
Trans, Non-Binary Youth
Indya Moore and Chase Strangio clearly had some fun doing their joint Instagram announcement of the
TranSanta program.
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Actress and non-binary advocate
Indya Moore wants
to bring more holiday
cheer to trans youth this
winter season.
PHOTO TWITTER/ @INDYAMOORE
Moore has partnered with Chase
Strangio, the deputy director for
trans justice at the ACLU’s LGBT &
HIV Project, for TranSanta, a campaign
delivering free gifts to trans,
non-binary, gender-non-conforming
and intersex youth in need.
The gift-sharing project is open to
trans and non-binary people under
the age of 24. Leaders hope the campaign
can provide support to LGBTQ
youth who are often forgotten about
during the holidays.
“For the holidays, we want to show
trans young people that they are
loved, supported, and have a family
around the country and world
of people who care about them,” the
project’s organizers wrote in an Instagram
Post.
The post continued, “Right now
trans young people particularly
Black and Brown trans youth are
under attack in the states across the
country and around the world. The
Covid pandemic has exacerbated unsafe
conditions for trans youth who
are houseless, in foster care, in detention,
or in abusive situations.”
Research shows, the pandemic is
widening health disparities queer
youth face compared to their non-
LGBTQ peers. A poll from the Trevor
Project, an LGBTQ suicide prevention
and crisis organization, found
COVID-19 is taking a huge toll on
their mental health.
Researchers surveyed 600 LGBTQ
youth. Half of all trans and nonbinary
respondents reported hiding parts
of their identity while in quarantine.
Before the pandemic hit, trans
youth were already at a much higher
risk. More than half of transgender
people have attempted suicide,
shows a report published last year by
UCLA’s William’s Institute, a policy
think tank.
Experts note that homelessness,
an unsupportive home, and joblessness
contribute to this.
These stories are all too familiar
to Moore. Moore escaped an abusive
home and entered the foster care system
at the age of 14.
Trans youth from across the world
are asking for everything from cellphones
to headphones and gift cards.
These are necessities that Moore said
they desired at that age, too.
“I am trans and those wish lists
were my wish lists too,” Moore said in
an Instagram post. “It was incredible
to see there’s an opportunity for kids
to have their wish lists heard and responded
to in real life.”
December 17 - December 30, 2 18 020 | GayCityNews.com
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