While saying this week was a disappointment for the rights of transgender people would be a massive understatement, at least one good thing has come out of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke protections for transgender students in public schools.
Mic reports that in the first 36 hours since the announcement was made that the White House would be reversing the Obama-era protections, the Trans Lifeline (a crisis hotline for the transgender community), received over $51,000 in donations. The organization’s website was so busy it reportedly crashed.
The organization reportedly speculates that many of the donations were a result of high-profile celebrities like Katy Perry posting about the urgent need for donations on social media:
Trans friend, if you are struggling tonight, please reach out to @TrevorProject and @Translifeline. Equality for all! #ISTANDWITHGAVIN pic.twitter.com/bgipj0rmqg
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) February 23, 2017
Trans Lifeline’s director of communications told Mic that the donations accounted for 13% of its yearly budget – and that the money is much-needed.
“We still get calls every day that go unanswered because we don’t have enough capacity,” Pérez told Mic in an email. “With this money, we will be able to pay for more staffing to work towards meeting the needs of our community as that need grows, with the increasing pressure from the political and social climate.”
The reversed protections were put in place by the Obama administration, and directed public schools to recognize transgender students as the gender they identify as on the basis of Title IX, which prohibits gender-based discrimination. Instead, the Trump administration plans to hand the responsiblity for laws regarding transgender rights in public schools back to the states.