Tangle for Transgender Youth

Before she hit puberty, Jaimie didn’t have to worry about the $1,700 quarterly cost of her hormone suppression medication. But the day she turned 14, that all changed.
“Jaimie’s insurance was paying for her treatments, but once they decided that she should be hitting puberty, they stopped paying. Ideally, Trans Love Fund would like to fund Jaimie’s treatments for the next four years, until she turns eighteen. She’s going to need surgery and seventeen hundred dollars in treatments every three months until then,” says Melissa Moore, executive director of We Are Family, a non-profit that provides support, resources and leadership to LGBTQI and straight ally youth, and a founding member of the Trans Love Fund.
A fledgling fundraising organization, Trans Love Fund was created in 2013 following We Are Family’s annual Spirit Day. Along with guest speaker Laverne Cox of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, Jaimie, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, also spoke to the crowd about the challenges of being a transgender youth.
“She was very depressed about the fact that she was no longer covered for her medication and the issue of being suicidal came up. We decided that there must be something we could do about it,” says Moore.
The solution came in the form of the Trans Love Fund and their inaugural fundraiser at the Tin Roof this past December: a ladies’ arm wrestling competition.
“We were hoping to raise enough money for one of Jaimie’s treatments, but the event ended up selling out and we made more than enough; and everyone had such a great time that the Tin Roof wanted to make it a regular event,” says Moore.
The first Ladies’ Arm Wrestling Competition of 2014 kicks off this Saturday, March 8, at the Tin Roof with doors opening at 8 p.m. and tournaments kicking off at 10:30 p.m. Battles are open to everyone, but the championship cup is open only to lady-identified persons, who can register to compete for $3 in one of two categories: scrawny or brawny.
That doesn’t mean that there won’t be plenty of action for the rest of the crowd, however. Attendees can challenge each other to arm wrestling, thumb wrestling and even leg wrestling competitions, and if you’re feeling the need to show off your mad dance skills, you can challenge anyone to a dance off.
“For the dance off we have two buckets; one for each dancer. One of the dancer’s friends volunteers to carry the bucket around and people can ‘vote’ for their favorite dancer by throwing money in their bucket. It’s another way for us to make a little more for the charity and to have fun, too,” says Moore.
While the competitions are taking place, drawings will also be held for prizes from various local supporting companies. Gift certificates from Early Bird Diner, King Dusko and the Terrace Theater will be up for grabs, as well as awards from Dudley’s, Auto Banh, Finkelstein’s Center, Artist & Craftsman, Frothy Beard Brewing, Lee Lee’s Hot Kitchen, the Tin Roof, and others. There’s even a unique hand knit triceratops made by one of the organization’s supporters that will be given away.
To make sure everyone keeps the competitions clean and fair, the infamous Lily Slay of the Royal Tin Foil will both referee and MC the event. And following the announcement of the night’s winners, DJ Lanatron will take the stage to lead the crowd into a late night dance party.
“The local businesses have been awesome. We’ve reached out to a lot of different people and organizations and everyone has stepped up to the plate,” says Moore.
The goal, once the Trans Love Fund is able to take care of Jaimie’s needs, is to help support all area transgender youth and eventually, transgenders in general.
“We really want to help create an environment that is not only a safe space for everyone, but a trans-centered space. We hope folks in the wider community can be educated about transgender needs and help support the cause,” says Moore.
 
The Ladies Arm Wrestling Championship will take place Saturday, March 8, at the Tin Roof, 1117 Magnolia Road, West Ashley. Doors open at 8 p.m. and registration ends at 10 p.m. Competitions begin at 10:30 p.m. Cover charge is $7, with 100% of proceeds going to support Jaimie. For more information, please visit www.translovefund.org, visit their page on Facebook, or visit www.waf.org.