Hey fam, it's me, Amara.

Welcome to the Translash podcast, a show where we tell trans stories to save trans lives.

Well, as the steady stream of attacks in our community escalate, the resources we need to fight are under serious pressure. Corporate giving is drying up,

DEI programs are being disbandled, and many LGBTQ-plus organizations are being asked to do so much more

as these resource pools begin to shrink. Moreover, philanthropic organizations in the wake of the Trump

administration and possible attacks on them

are moving resources more slowly and in certain cases are closing down altogether.

So we're taking a hard look at the state of LGBTQ funding and philanthropy, who's still giving, who's pulling back, and why?

First, I speak with Alexander Lee from funders for LGBTQ plus issues about the big picture shifts in the funding landscape.

Institutional philanthropy is, I would say, in a great reset moment right now.

Then I talked with Baron Watts from the Transjustice Funding Project about community-led funding

and the importance of supporting trans-leadership in this moment.

Fun trans organizers, fun trans-led work, because trans organizers, trans leaders,

they're working at all the intersections of what needs to be funded right now.

But before we get into these important conversations, let's start out as always with some trans joy.

What What if TransJoy looks like a mixtape of poetry, folk music, and pure magic?

Valentine Vandal is a Cleveland-based artist whose creative heart beats with music, verse, and vibrant self-expression.

Whether they're recording dreamy folk punk songs or styling looks that turn sidewalks into runways, Val invites us into a world where black trans brilliance takes center stage.

And after listening to this episode, make sure you go stream their debut album, Baby Teeth.

Here's Valentine to tell us more.

Me and a couple other folk queer artists in the Cleveland scene got together and it's like,

we're going to try and raise as much money as possible for Cleveland's like mutual aid fund for

...