We’re Asking for your Help with Social Justice Mini Grants

This November, we are ramping toward Giving Tuesday with 28 Days of Giving!

Donations we receive this month will help support programs and initiatives that promote inclusivity and create a safer, more welcoming environment for all students. $10 is all it takes to make a difference for LGBTQ+ young people.

Your donation will help to fund our Social Justice Mini Grants, which support Campus Pride’s mission to build future leaders and create safer, more inclusive communities by providing funding to student activists and leaders on campuses nationwide.

One past recipient, Micah (they/them), received funding for oSTEM at the University of Central Florida to found “The Binder Project.”

During their time at the University of Central Florida, Micah noticed that a problem they and many other members of the LGBTQ+ community was the lack of access to safe, high-quality chest binders for transmasculine and gender-nonconforming people.

These binders aid in alleviating gender dysphoria but must be of high quality to avoid permanent damage to the chest, ribs, and lungs, which could impact future candidacy for gender-affirming surgeries.

These binders are usually expensive and only available online, becoming cost-prohibitive for trans college students.

This month, help Campus Pride support student leaders and initiatives that promote inclusivity and create a safer, more welcoming environment for all students. $10 is all it takes to make a difference for LGBTQ+ young people.

Furthermore, increasing legislative attacks on trans youth and adults in the state of Florida placed transitioning and being openly queer on college campuses at risk, especially at publicly funded institutions such as the University of Central Florida.

With the Campus Pride Social Justice Mini Grant Funding, Micah was able to provide access to safe, high-quality chest binders to students on campus and across the country.

The funding allowed Micah to connect with GC2B, trans-owned binder manufacturers, to obtain safe and high-quality chest binders. This funding also aided in creating the foundation of proper distribution models in which application forms created access to safe and high-quality chest binders for University of Central Florida Students, University students, and anyone else in the United States.

The Binder Project also worked with University of Central Florida LGBTQ+ services to create an in-person distribution location on campus that offered assistance in sizing, as well as a location to package and prepare chest binders for shipping nationwide. Alongside other university LGBTQ+ organizations, The Binder Project also set up a booth at a gender-neutral clothing drive to offer chest binders and information on safety and resources.

Overall, with the help of Campus Pride’s Social Justice Mini Grants, The Binder Project distributed over 100 binders from Florida to Oregon.