Crowdfunding is a potent force for rallying support and resources for LGBTQ+ individuals and causes. While traditional donation methods remain essential, crowdfunding platforms offer unique advantages, allowing donors to connect with personal stories and urgent needs. Let's explore the critical role of crowdfunding in supporting LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and communities while highlighting the differences between platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, and resources like GoFundMe and mutual aid networks.
Crowdfunding Platforms: Kickstarter and Indiegogo vs. GoFundMe and Mutual Aid Networks
1. Kickstarter and Indiegogo: These platforms are often associated with creative and entrepreneurial projects. While they primarily focus on funding artistic, innovative, or business endeavors, they can also be a powerful resource for LGBTQ+ initiatives. For instance, a transgender artist seeking to create a thought-provoking film exploring gender identity might turn to Kickstarter for support. These platforms enable the LGBTQ+ community to share their vision, raise awareness, and secure financial backing for projects that contribute to a more inclusive society. Even Allyship is a Verb had an Indiegogo campaign to help fund season three of the podcast.
2. GoFundMe and Mutual Aid Networks: GoFundMe and mutual aid networks, on the other hand, are vital when addressing one-time crisis-based or medical needs within the LGBTQ+ community. These platforms are often used to raise funds for urgent situations, such as trans individuals needing financial assistance for gender-affirming care, families seeking to flee to more affirming locations, or people seeking to secure first and last month's rent for a safer place to live. They serve as lifelines, offering a sense of community and solidarity in times of immediate need.
The Power of Crowdfunding for the LGBTQ+ Community
Crowdfunding is particularly impactful for the LGBTQ+ community for several reasons:
1. Visibility and Empowerment: Crowdfunding platforms provide a stage for LGBTQ+ individuals to share their stories and advocate for their unique needs. By amplifying their voices to share personal experiences, these platforms empower LGBTQ+ people to raise awareness about issues like transitioning, homelessness, and healthcare disparities.
2. Immediate Support: In cases of urgent need, crowdfunding allows the community to come together swiftly. It enables donors to respond in real-time, making it a practical solution for those facing crises like discrimination, violence, or homelessness.
3. Community Building: Crowdfunding fosters a sense of community and solidarity. It encourages individuals to stand together and support one another, creating a network of people who recognize the struggles faced by LGBTQ+ people and are eager to help.
Examples of Crowdfunding in the LGBTQ+ Community
1. Medical Care: Transgender and nonbinary individuals may require financial assistance to cover the costs of gender-affirming care, especially if surgeries are denied by their insurance companies (sometimes days or hours before surgery), not covered, or they don't have access to health insurance. Maybe their care is covered, but they need travel funds or have other fees while recovering. Countless GoFundMe campaigns have successfully funded affirming medical care, helping individuals align their bodies with their gender identities. They've also been created for LGBTQ+ folks wanting access to therapy on a consistent, long-term basis, especially if not explicitly covered by their health insurance or they're only allowed a specific number of sessions. The reasons don't have to be specific to their LGBTQ+ status, however. They may need it to receive cancer treatment or cover other medical bills and expenses.
2. Safer Housing: Unhoused LGBTQ+ youth or those in unsafe living conditions have turned to mutual aid networks to secure funds for the first and last month's rent. These efforts provide a lifeline to those in need, offering stability and a chance for a safer, more accepting environment.
3. Legal Support: Crowdfunding platforms have been instrumental in supporting LGBTQ+ legal cases, like helping individuals fight discrimination in wrongful termination or denial of services. By rallying support, these campaigns may help see that justice is served and discrimination is combated. While some may be able to have their cases taken on pro bono, especially by some of the wonderful LGBTQ+ and allied legal organizations that exist today, this is not always the case.
Conclusion
Crowdfunding is a powerful tool for the LGBTQ+ community, enabling individuals to seek support for critical issues and causes. Whether through creative projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo or addressing one-time crisis-based or medical needs on GoFundMe and mutual aid networks, these platforms empower LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and communities to get access to more equitable resources. Those of us practicing allyship can leverage the strength of crowdfunding to uplift the voices of the LGBTQ+ community and contribute to positive change. Even if you can't personally donate, helping by sharing with your networks can boost the signal and allow others to contribute however they can.
In crowdfunding for LGBTQ+ causes, mutual aid networks stand out as a powerful and efficient resource. Mutual aid fosters a direct, person-to-person connection, ensuring funds reach those in need swiftly and effectively. Unlike traditional nonprofit organizations, where administrative overhead may consume a portion of donations, and they may require additional burdens of proof for the need (which can create more barriers), mutual aid networks often channel the entirety of contributions directly to the recipients or the recipients receive the funds from folks directly. This means that every dollar goes further, making a more immediate and substantial difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and communities. By supporting mutual aid, donors can play a pivotal role in strengthening LGBTQ+ communities and ensuring that financial assistance reaches its intended destination without delay or unnecessary expenses. Mutual aid doesn't always have to be financial, either. Sometimes, it can be food access networks, like community fridges.
While traditional nonprofit donations typically offer tax advantages, contributing to mutual aid networks does not provide the same financial benefits and, in the case of IndieGoGo and Kickstarter, could be a financial risk because there is no guarantee you'll receive any rewards. However, these are golden opportunities for a more direct, immediate, and impactful influence, allowing donors to make a significant positive change in the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, families, and communities facing urgent needs, starting businesses, or creating new resources.