ourflagmeansgay | Never underestimate the power of fans: This fandom has raised over 50k to help trans youth.

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ourflagmeansgay

Recently, a craft fair was announced, spearheaded by a few fans. Initially it was a fan-made auction and fair, with the items up for bid and purchase ones created by fans themselves.

Raising money for the Campaign for Southern Equality, which helps queer youth in the south, the original 5k goal was hit in eleven minutes.
- The Mary Sue

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From:

china_shop

\o/!!

From:

goodbyebird

Fandom can be pretty dang awesome.

From:

delphi

It was wild to see the total bids just keep rising! It closed out at $85k, and last I heard, about 85% of donations had already been received. The range and quality of crafts was absolutely amazing, with something for every price range, down to those receipts for half-shares of Prince Azi's pyramid. :D

This was such a good and timely reminder that with some organizing, word of mouth, community relationships, and contributions of labour and money on a sliding scale, we all have the ability to make a real difference in other people's lives.

The bidder who won the custom recording from Con O'Neill was kind enough to ask him to read a message to the community, which was provided here:

https://soundcloud.com/veeagainsttheday/cons-message-to-ofmd-craft-fair

Transcript: What a beautiful thing you've all done.

Hundreds of you gave your time and work or promised hope to strangers with your donations.

So many more of you spread the word, making sure as many people as possible could take part in all this. And in the end, more than 70% of what was raised was from crafted goods or commissioned artwork, from this community and by this community.

You all saw a need for a light in the darkness, and without hesitation, you chose to shine brilliantly.

It's not the first time you've done it. This time the light looked like needlework and jewellery, and maybe a half a pyramid here or there. But sometimes it looks like a drag show, a livestream, or a zine for charity. Sometimes it looks like a bit of artwork in exchange for proof of donation, or just a call to action. Sometimes it's a signal boost or giving someone else in our fandom a helping hand.

There's a lot of darkness around us. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, but you all know how to make your own light. And what's more, you're always willing to share it with others.

So, to the moderators, to everyone who made things, shared links, or donated, and to everyone who's ever been a part of this sort of thing in the past, please know you all make the world a little brighter. Better. More loving. Thank you so much. I fucking love this crew.