A new social-media campaign features people writing positive, supportive letters to trans kids.
The campaign is the idea of Ina Fried, currently the Chief Technology Correspondent for Axios. She’s a huge sports fan and was at the Tokyo Summer Olympics last year as a correspondent.
The idea came to Fried as she has been watching far too much anti-trans rhetoric on social media. Compounding it has been bills and laws barring trans kids from playing sports that correspond with their gender, or banning certain medical transition procedures and medicines for youth. In addition, messages from various people tell kids that these efforts mean people are trying to harm or kill them.
Fried’s initiative cuts through that, focusing on just messages of love and support, most of them removing all of the negativity and creating a message of positivity. The concept is powerful, as it focuses on empowerment and building support in the midst of the adults’ big, ugly fight. The campaign is about the kids and only the kids.
People have already written dozens of letters and recorded letters on video, and everyone is encouraged to add their messages of support with the #letters4transkids.
Some people in the sports world have contributed their own letters, including (and we’ll update these as more come in):
NHL player Kurtis Gabriel
History will look back on this ominous attack of transgender & non binary people as a very dark time. Hateful attacks on just normal people! This idea to help support the most targeted members, the youth, is so important. Please join in when you have time. #Letters4TransKids 🏳️⚧️ https://t.co/9dQaXz2tF5 pic.twitter.com/xv0v3ayDqA
— Kurtis Gabriel (@kurtisgabriel) April 11, 2022
Former hockey player and executive Anya Packer
Join @InaFried’s mission to share #Letters4TransKids. Together we can support trans and non-binary people through a dark time. Let’s shine light and love to become louder than hate. pic.twitter.com/YMVGClXHlk
— Anya Packer (She/Her) (@battaglinoa) April 11, 2022
Sportswriter Janie McCauley
Huge gratitude to lovely @inafried for such a wonderful project to support every kind of kid: #letters4transkids. Here’s mine: pic.twitter.com/QoYfEqeVou
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) April 15, 2022