Member-only story
There was no resource for face masks affirming transgender and queer folks, so we created one
As a queer blogger and social worker, I’m familiar with organizing drives to address gaps in services. Toy drives, food drives, blankets, pet supplies, even creating a tote bag project to support food pantries. It all starts with being able to identify a gap and work with people to create solutions.
On the day that Gov. Tom Wolf and Dr. Rachel Levine held a press conference at the beginning of the pandemic telling Pennsylvanians they should all be wearing masks, my partner Laura and I were driving to do a porch pick-up of two masks we had already ordered through Operation Face Mask Pittsburgh. I got to savor the rare moment of being ahead of the trend.
But soon after washing, wearing, and rewashing these masks, I realized we would need more than just the two we purchased. Finding a vendor was tough. Backorders. Wading through patterns. I am not a sewist (sewer + artist + activist), but I wanted to support those who were, and help my other friends get access to them too, especially as a member of the LGBTQ community who knows how important finding a safe outlet is to our friends during normal times, let alone a pandemic.
Members of the trans community continue to face escalating public abuse and violence, a fused layer of transphobia…
