Ariana Grande pledged up to $1.5 million U.S. on Thursday – International Transgender Day of Visibility – to support trans youth.
“Please join me in donating to this fund i’ve created with @pledge.to to support organizations providing direct services and advocating for the rights of trans youth,” the pop superstar wrote in an Instagram post. "right now there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights. this will provide critical funds to organizations advocating for the rights of trans youth.”
As of Friday morning, the fund had collected a little more than $425,000 U.S., with Grande promising to match donations up to $1.5 million.
The funds will go to 18 groups in the U.S., where there have been nearly 240 state bills targeting LGBTQ rights – including in Grande’s native Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis banned discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity to children from kindergarten to Grade 3.
U.S. president Joe Biden on Thursday called trans people “so brave” and told them: “You belong. I have your back.”