Twitch Streamers Are Raising Thousands To Support Trans Youth In Texas

Abhorrent doesn’t even scratch the surface in describing Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s letter directing the state’s child welfare and protection agency to treat providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth as “child abuse.” Both Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, among other state officials, continue to push for parents that embrace their transgender children to face legal repercussions for doing so, as well as teachers, medical professionals and other adults that affirm their identity. All without any actual legal power to do so.

Attacking trans youth is nothing new. More than 30 states have introduced discriminatory laws aimed at limiting transgender children’s access to gender-affirming health care, sports participation, bathrooms and even having their identity discussed in schools over the last year.

As LGBTQ and specifically transgender advocacy groups push back against this latest volley against trans rights, the streaming community is once again lending support. A number of campaigns supporting transgender community support group Trans Lifeline have popped up on Tiltify, the go-to service for charity Twitch streams, since Abbott’s decree earlier this week. And some are pulling in amazing amounts in donations.

Austin, Texas-based variety streamer Bloody kicked off her latest charity campaign for Trans Lifeline on Thursday. Bloody is trans herself and spent the day fielding questions on everything from her own struggles transitioning as a Texas resident to where she finds gender euphoria, raising upward of $16,000 in the process.

Thursday’s sum brings the total amount Bloody has raised for the organization since December to just under $100,000. “When it boils down to it, I’m so happy that I can leverage my platform to do some serious good,” she said. “This is actually the dream.” Minecraft streamer SergeYager raised an additional $11,000 on Thursday. Both of their campaigns are still open to donations heading into the weekend.

VIBE FOR WHAT’S RIGHT: A livestream fundraiser featuring our best matches and moments from Butch vs Gore to Paris is Bumping II

All stream revenue goes to @TransTexas

NEXT WED NIGHT @ 10PM EST on @indiewrestling#ProtectTransKidspic.twitter.com/xqcBeustVS

— Pro Wrestling VIBE (@PWVibe) February 23, 2022

The burgeoning presence of pro wrestling on Twitch is also lending itself to the cause. TransGraps, a community built by trans pro wrestling fans for trans pro wrestling fans that regularly streams on Twitch, announced it will donate all profits from its merchandise sales for the next two months to Equality Texas and The Transgender Education Network of Texas.

LGBTQ-owned pro wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Vibe is also lending support to TENT. The company is partnering with pro wrestling streaming service IWTV for a streaming fundraiser called “Vibe For What’s Right.” The event will relive the best matches and moments from the company’s two-year history, many of which feature transgender and gender-diverse performers. Pro Wrestling Vibe founder Billy Dixon confirmed that all streaming revenue from the event will go directly to TENT.

The response is heartening to see, and there appear to be more charity streams being announced for this weekend from music, games, art and culture streamers. One of the leading names in LGBTQ advocacy through videogames, GaymerX, also lent its voice to the cause. In an open letter to trans youth in Texas, the organization published a list of pro-trans resources in Texas and promised to work to keep them safe.

“We’re not going to give you some shallow ‘it gets better’ talk. We’re promising you that there are people who are fighting to make it better for you, right now. We’re asking you to hold on while we fight this and things like it,” the letter read. “We want you to know that many of us who are already in jobs that are supposed to protect you intend to keep doing just that, in spite of this order. We’re asking the other adults in your communities to do the same.”