At first glance, they might appear to be letters to Santa Claus from any ecstatic younger baby hoping they were deserving of a particular favor. Meek says,” I think I have tried my best this time,” as he anticipates hearing sleigh bells. They wrote,” I try to be beneficial. In the meantime, Alex may adore a vehicle and present cards to brighten up the end of an “extremely difficult time.”
If you dig a much deeper, everything might not be as it seems. The letters are real, but the writers are transgender or non-binary young people who are writing to an alternative annual donor named Transanta, whose studio is located in cyberspace, rather than the North Pole.
Contrary to their well-known predecessor, Transanta is more of an idea than a person. Through an Amazon gift registry, the website transanta.com, a project of the anti-discrimination creative arts organization Allies in Arts, connects LGBTQ+ youth in need of assistance with private donors who are willing to provide it.
Many of the requests come from young people going through hardship or injury, and some families or communities have turned them down. Transanta claims that they are looking for “basic needs like gift cards for meals, school supplies, gender-affirming clothing, and mobility aids, as well as items just for the season’s pleasure like craft supplies and great accessories and toys for shaggy best friends.”
The software, which Allies in Arts describes as a joint support social media campaign available to those up to age 24 and which by the end of last month had received nearly 2, 000 letters, has been in operation for the past four years.
The letter is posted by Transanta, frequently accompanied by vibrant drawings, on its website. They are located next to a link to the recipient’s gift registration, enabling anyone to make private purchases of products that will be delivered to them.
The group claims that trans and gay youth who are homeless, in foster care, or otherwise without essential support can get the gifts and affirmation they require from people all over the world through anonymous and secure gift-giving.
Everyone is capable of being a Santa. Transness is absolutely stunning, and we are reveling in our secret. You are ensuring your trans survival by investing in trans treatment.
Many of the letters, which are mixed with messages of positivity and resolve, paint a picture of what it’s like for trans children to overcome their obstacles. For instance, Californian Alex, 24, who gave birth to a teenager two months ago and struggled with gender dysphoria while pregnant.
In a letter asking for baby supplies and gift cards, they stated,” I’m juggling treatment and going back to work but that I can get my place for myself and my child.”
” I’ve added items that may speed up my recovery, as well as a vehicle to make getting back to work much simpler.” As a gay parent, I’m eager to begin the new year.
Meek, a 20-year-old from North Carolina, claims that they are “merely attempting to get past the system.” They wrote,” I try to be good, but it just seems like as a Black trans children, I fall quick,” as they searched for toiletries, cleaning supplies, and cat litter. I’m hoping to hear wagon bells, Santa, but bless you!
Vincent, an eight-year-old from California, is one of the youngest reporters. He drew Christmas trees on his email asking for gift cards.
My Dad is a happy trans Dad, dear Transanta. I adore him. We are poor and in desperate need of assistance. Whatever is helpful! He penned.
Allies in Art claimed that support for trans children was more urgent than ever after a year in which dozens of Republican-controlled states passed anti-trans and LGBTQ+ policy and an increase in the killings and suicides of transgender people coincided with an upsurge in nasty rhetoric across the country.
The organization stated on its site,” We want to demonstrate to trans young people that they are loved, supported, and have a family of people who care about them and want them to thrive.”
