PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Event hosted by Caroline Kwan and Austin Show raises 34 000 USD for Transgender Rights
Montreal, April 10th 2023 - Hold the Fort, a transgender charity tournament featuring Fortnite held April 8th 2023 co-hosted by Caroline Kwan, Austin Show and organizer Emma (onyourleftist) raised over 34 000 US dollars for the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF).
“I’m so proud of our community and the impact this event will have on protecting our transgender siblings’ rights. I’m blown away, I never thought we would raise so much money. I’ve been crying non-stop since the event.” said Emma (onyourleftist), one of the hosts of the event and director of Hold the Fort.
With 100 participants and thousands of concurrent viewers, the event caught the eyes of well known streamers such as Hasan Piker and Will Neff, who helped promote the event and were among the highest donors. Internet personalities from multiple platforms were involved in the event, including tiktok personality Nick Meyer, twitch streamers and hosts Caroline Kwan and Austin Show, as well as well known youtubers such as Th3Vale and SeanDaBlack.
“I’m glad you raised a lot of money, congratulations, I’m proud of you guys,” said Hasan Piker, leftist political twitch streamer on his stream Saturday, speaking about Hold the Fort.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come out to support the trans community, whether they are trans or not.” highlighted Caroline Kwan, co-host of the event, during the Hold the Fort stream, “Truly, everyone in chat, everyone who participated today, you are all amazing. It is wonderful to see this community come together to support this amazing charity stream and also the trans community at large.”
The funds raised by Hold the Fort for the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund will go towards their general operating expenses, which support three main programs: the Name Change Project (1), the Trans Health Project (2), and Impact Litigation (3).
"TLDEF is immensely grateful to the organizers and everyone who came together with Hold the Fort to raise money to support our work. This generous contribution will fuel our work fighting discrimination in law and policy, support our services to the community through our Name Change and Trans Health Projects, and enable us to continue to educate the public about who trans and nonbinary people are and why legal protections are so critical," said Sue Lee Troutman, TLDEF's Director of Development.
For more information, visit our website*. To donate, visit our Tiltify page**.
** https://tiltify.com/+hold-the-fort/hold-the-fort
Media:
Clip of Caroline: https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx5EWz9VhMjzwGrg9WpdvHFPgVSV9wsDgx
Will Neff: https://clips.twitch.tv/AgileVastCobblerRlyTho-gTs-BhDfuIJ0uuKm
10k goal hit: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxYIGUUeCQPFMuh5h8x_z0NsRn97UemFyZ
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For any interview requests or additional information:
Emma (any/all pronouns)
Spokesperson, Hold the Fort
Phone: 669-696-3936 Email: onyourleftist@holdthefort.live
About:
-
Hold the Fort
Hold the Fort is a grassroots project led by a group of queer organizers that raised over 34 000 USD to help fight LGBT+ discrimination and identity-based violence. The event was born in light of the recent rise in violence and hate against transgender and non-binary people reflected in the many hundreds of bills currently being proposed and passed to codify violence against them in North America and throughout the world.
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Announcing Hold the Fort, a Transgender Charity Tournament Featuring Fortnite
Montreal, March 29th - Hold the Fort was born in light of the recent rise in violence and hate against transgender and non-binary people reflected in the many hundreds of bills currently being proposed and passed to codify violence against them in North America and throughout the world. With the goal to raise money for transgender charities, organizers got together to form a 100-person charity tournament featuring Fortnite, to be streamed on April 8th, 2023 at 12 pm PST/3 pm EST. All proceeds will go to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF).
“Transgender lives and rights are being threatened across the USA and other supposedly developed countries at alarming rates, through both legislation and direct action. Through Hold the Fort, we want to raise money to help challenge these threats legally. ” highlights Emma, director, and spokesperson for Hold the Fort.
Notable streamers and internet personalities such as Blaustoise, Ro Ramdin, Will Neff, Caroline Kwan, and more will participate in the event, alongside smaller streamers and members of their communities.
“At a time when trans rights are under attack, the least we can do as content creators is come together and show our LGBTQ+ community that we have their backs,” underlines Gremloe, a political twitch streamer and participant in the event.
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund helps trans and non-binary people access pro-bono legal help for name changes, challenges legislation threatening trans lives and rights, and works to educate trans people on their rights. They also work to expand access to gender-affirming care. TLDEF was chosen as the recipient for all funds raised through Hold the Fort because of their outstanding record and impact.
"TLDEF is incredibly grateful to everyone organizing and participating in Hold the Fort. The transgender and nonbinary community is under unprecedented attack, and this support will help us to continue our fight to secure access to the health, safety, and dignity that every human being deserves," says Sue Lee Troutman, TLDEF's Director of Development.
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For more information, a list of streamers streaming the event, and resources for trans and other LGBT+ people, visit our website*. To donate, visit our Tiltify page**.
** https://tiltify.com/+hold-the-fort/hold-the-fort
###
For any interview requests or additional information:
Emma (any/all pronouns)
Spokesperson, Hold the Fort
Phone: 669-696-3936 Email: onyourleftist@holdthefort.live
About:
-
Hold the Fort
Hold the Fort is a grassroots project led by a group of queer organizers to try to help fix a growing political problem of LGBT+ discrimination and identity-based violence.
Media contact
Contact us to gain access to our full press folder including logos, promotional images and more.
​
Our media contact is also available to comment and answer any questions you may have.
Emma any/all
E-Mail: onyourleftist@holdthefort.live
Phone: 669-696-3936