As you surely all know, last month was Pride Month, and we here at ToughPigs did so much to celebrate. As you might remember, we shared a bunch of new articles about LGBTQ-related topics: profiles on Andrew G. Cooper and Alan Muroka, an asexual perspective on Fraggle Rock, an an in-depth conversation about Junior Gorg’s binary-themed subplot in “I’m Pogey.”
But of course, as with last year, the most exciting thing we did this month was raise money for charities. Specifically, this year, we supported True Colors United, The Trevor Project, and Advocates for Trans Equality. We raised money for these charities through sales of LGBTQ merch, but also through a donation contest. As you remember, you could have donated to these charities to be able to win a ton of prizes, ranging from Labyrinth prop replicas to prints to rare t-shirts.
We finished everything off with a fundraising livestream, which featured silly Muppet art, trivia, and special guest stars Kira Hall and Ali J. Eisner from Back to the Rock and Stoph Scheer and Jacob Graham from The Creatures of Yes. On the stream, we also announced the winners of all our prizes.
If you missed the stream, or want to relive it, you can check our the full video on our YouTube! (The video starts at 3:15 to skip audio echo issues at the beginning.)
But the real question is: how much did we raise in total? All together, from your donations to our contest plus the pride merch we sold, we raised $2,468.08, divided between the three charities.
We couldn’t be happier with this total. We’re so glad we’re able to make this donation, thanks to viewers like you!
Last year, I ended this roundup by saying that 2023 was rough for queer people in the United States. Sadly, 2024 has not been better, and rough times are ahead. We’re seeing battles over LGBTQ rights in every state, and the Republican party has promised that, if elected, they will attempt to move forward with reducing trans rights on a national scale. Honestly, it’s terrifying for people like me.
But you know what helps me feel less afraid? Knowing that there are people like all of you out there, doing what you can to come together and help others. Our community is caring and strong, and together we can do great things. The money we raised will help queer kids all over the country. That’s amazing. I know that even when things are scary, our compassion is a light in the darkness.
Seriously, thank you so much for joining us this Pride Month.
Contest winners, you’ve been alerted via email, and expect your prizes to arrive soon!
Click here to take a victory lap on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Becca Petunia
