About the TFA Trans Disaster Relief Fund

The Trans Disaster Relief fund was initially set up as a response to Hurricane Harvey. However, since then, numerous other disasters, ranging from other hurricanes to earthquakes and wildfires, have continued to ravage communities. This means that not only has the Houston trans, intersex, and genderqueer community suffered, numerous other communities have suffered and continues to suffer.

 The Trans Disaster Relief Fund is Here to Help 

Any member of the trans community who needs assistance due to a disaster will be considered for the fund.

FAQs

Q: Are my donations going to a nonprofit?

A: Yes, the Trans Disaster Relief Fund is a project of the Transgender Foundation of America, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Q: What is the Transgender Foundation of America?

A: Organized in 1998, the Transgender Foundation of America (TFA) is a Houston-based grassroots nonprofit organization that obtained its 501c3 nonprofit status (EIN: 76-0670632) in 2001. TFA was brought into existence through the hard work and support of its parent organization, the Gulf Coast Transgender Community (GCTC), which traces its roots back to 1965. In addition to TFA, GCTC was instrumental in organizing pioneering organizations like the Texas Association for Transsexual Support and historic events such as the International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy. GCTC’s spirit lives on in the TFA mission of improving the quality of life for transgender people.

TFA facilitates numerous trans support groups and community events such as the Unity Banquet, now in its 25th year. Additionally, it maintains the Transgender Archive and provides annual scholarships to trans-supportive academics, represents trans health concerns with health departments across the nation, trains organizations, companies, and schools throughout the nation and pioneered trans homeless, social, and medical services.

Q: How do you get aid to those affected by a disaster?

A: Depending on where the victim is, we may hand-deliver aid, make a cash distribution via a Walmart near the victim, make a deposit into the victim’s PayPal account, or send a check through the mail.

Q: What type of financial aid can a disaster victim request?

A: Financial aid can include checks, electronic transfers, and/or gift cards.

Q: What does a disaster victim need to do to request aid?

A: Make a specific request via our request form.

Q: I’m a reporter and want to know more about the Fund. Who do I talk to?

A: If you are with the media and need to contact the Trans Disaster Relief Fund, please do so using this email: mediarequest@tdrfund.us.

Q: Why focus on the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community?

A: Trans, intersex, and genderqueer individuals can experience extreme difficulties in natural disaster situations. Worse, recent attacks by lawmakers have resulted in heightened hostility against trans people.

When the Fund Began

In September 2017, as many of us, ourselves dealing with the effects of Hurricane Harvey, acted to set up the Trans Disaster Relief Fund because:

• Many members of the trans, intersex, and genderqueer community living in the South lost everything.
• The trans community is a historically underserved population.
• Recent attacks by lawmakers resulted in heightened hostility against trans people.

The trans community living in America’s South has faced a number of catastrophic and ongoing natural disasters resulting from numerous Hurricanes. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma made landfall as category 4 hurricanes. Harvey became a massive and slow-moving tropical storm resulting in historic-levels of flooding while Hurricane Irma swept over numerous heavily populated areas in Florida before moving north as a tropical storm.

Early Responders: THANK YOU!

We would like to thank both the State of Texas and City of Houston chapters of the National Organization for Women supplying the initial funding to establish the Trans Disaster Relief Fund!

Fundraising for the Trans Disaster Relief Fund is organized through the Houston Transgender Unity Committee and national community mobilization was organized through the TransAdvocate.