Rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ Mutual Aid Fund
A Fund of Out in the Open
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Request Funds
NEW REQUESTS ARE CURRENTLY ON PAUSE
Out in the Open welcomes any rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ person living in rural Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine to request funds.
We offer support for:
Groceries, supplies, housing support, medical support, and other needs for thriving.
Out in the Open is considering mutual aid fund requests of up to $400 per individual in accordance with the priorities listed below and the amount of funds we receive to distribute.
Open request form or scroll down to the "How it works" section for more details.
Artwork by Monica Trinidad. -
Donate Funds
It's time to share our resources to get through collective crisis together.
100% of the funds we receive from your donation will be distributed to rural QTBIPOC and other rural LGBTQ+ folks who request funds for thriving.
Click below to directly make a difference now:
Border artwork by Josh MacPhee -
Other Mutual Aid
This mutual aid fund is only one of the ways we are working to support our community. We are building resilient and joyful rural LGBTQ+ communities which entail that radical act of community care.
As a rural queer community, we take care of each other through acts of love, creativity, and resistance. We take care of each other by building a community where we are seen, visible, and powerful.
One of those ways is through a binder give-a-way in collaboration with Shapeshifters. Click through to learn more or join the waitlist for a binder request. New requests are currently on pause while we catch up!
Rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ Mutual Aid Fund
What - A mutual aid relief fund for rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ people, living in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Who - This Mutual Aid Fund will distribute money to LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, +) folks, prioritizing applicants who are QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, people of color) living in rural Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine–where funds of this type are critically needed. Additional priority will be given to those who live at the intersections of systematically oppressed experiences & identities.
Why this fund; why now? -
For folks who are part of our QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ community: we see you and we love you. In addition to everything below, we know we also have times of great joy and celebration stemming from our queer and trans identities. We will find those times again. And we're hopeful that support from this Fund can help us all get there.
The pandemic era is deeply affecting all of us, in nearly every aspect of our lives. As with most things, the impacts look different in rural communities and small towns than in densely populated areas and cities. Housing is an ongoing concern, as rental prices increase and folks with access to wealth continue fleeing to rural areas based on ideas of safety and slowness associated with country living. The crush of this influx adds to stress on existing resources that are already in short supply.
We are in solidarity with our siblings who are struggling in cities! We need to be together in this fight against fascism, racism, and wealth hoarding that contributed to this situation in the first place.
We know that rural LGBTQ+ folks in our community who are Black, indigenous and/or people of color are being more deeply affected by this virus on top of the other daily oppressions they were living with from pre-pandemic times, due to a centuries-long arc of systemic racism. This is the reason why we are prioritizing QTBIPOC in our process.
Our LGBTQ+ community on the whole, as compared to our straight and cis siblings, experiences higher rates of poverty; fewer of us have an existing relationship with a primary care provider so are less able to access care if we need it during COVID; may not be in contact with our families of origin and/or may have less support where we are quarantined presently; and more.
We want to make sure that as many of us as possible make it through this time in order to keep fighting together long into the future. We have been inspired and supported by many mutual aid funds started since 2020
Join us in requesting support from this fund if that is what you need. Join us in supporting community if you are able (not that those are mutually exclusive! You can both need and give support at the same time).
*Individuals and organizations who we have received inspiration and support from in creating the language and systems for this mutual aid fund: Ijeoma Oluo's efforts to support her community of fellow artists in Seattle, Amita Swadhin organizer of COVID-19 Relief Fund For LGBTQI+ BIPOC, SisTers PGH COVID-19 LGBTQIA Emergency Relief Fund, The Root Social Justice Center’s Mutual Aid Support Network, and Dr. tara jae and YouthSeen in Colorado’s efforts to support QTBIPOC folks.
How It Works
Out in the Open is able to offer the support described below and we welcome any rural QTBIPOC/LGBTQ+ folks living in rural Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine to request support.
At this time we are offering support for:
Groceries, supplies, housing support, medical support, and other thriving and survival needs.
How it will work (some borrowed language from Pittsburgh COVID-19 LGBTQIA Emergency Relief Fund):
Out in the Open is considering mutual aid fund requests of up to $400 per individual in accordance with the priorities listed below
Please consider the amount of your request so that funds can be dispersed fairly to others. Please specify the amount of request and what needs it will cover.
Rural LGBTQ+ folks are welcome to request funds. We will prioritize fund distribution to QTBIPOC folks and applicants who are:
Sex Workers
Undocumented folks
Disabled/Chronically Ill
Transgender and/or non-binary
Without paid work and/or not eligible for unemployment benefits
Not eligible for paid sick leave
On the cusp of losing housing and or currently without housing
Food insecure
Have lost, or are losing, access to gender affirming care such as HRT, etc
Funds will be distributed via paper checks. If this is a hardship, please note that on your form entry and we’ll follow-up!
We will not share or sell the information given to us in your request form with any other organization(s).
A group of OITO staff will make final decisions for those receiving funds based on information received from requests.
No staff, board or family members of staff or board will receive any funds.
When:
We distribute funds about once a year, most recently in December 2022. New requests are currently on pause.