Words by Tess Becker
June 1 marked the beginning of Pride Month amid a fiery political climate in the United States. At the time of writing, there are 491 anti-LGBTQ bills active in the US according to the ACLU. Many of those bills are centered on trans people, including bathroom bans and HRT restrictions.
Much of the reason for that legislative work is centered on misunderstandings about what it's like to be trans or queer, and TheGenderCool Project hopes to solve that by telling the stories of those people.
“GenderCool is an inspiring disrupter,” they write. “We are breaking through to millions of people who say they’ve never met a transgender or non-binary person.”
The goal is centered around strengthening the voices of people that may be limited due to their gender identity and cutting through the misinformation out there.
“Transgender and nonbinary kids are here − hundreds of thousands of them in every corner of every community. They are being raised by everyday parents who have good values and give back to their communities,” Jen Grosshandler, co-founder of the GenderCool Project, said.
The organization started five years ago but has continued to grow, and amid a climate like now is as important as ever.
It has the support of several national media outlets and large corporations including big household names Nike, Amazon, HP and many more.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Path Home. This organization helps families facing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. Find out more and support them here.
Hope South Florida. They help people affected by homelessness across the tri-county South Florida. Find out more.
National Coalition for the Homeless. They aid homeless people around the country through their many branches. Support them here.
