One of the founding principles of Indiegogo is its openness — anyone, anywhere can raise money for any idea. This has, in turn, created an unprecedented platform of empowerment for many of the world’s underserved, underrepresented, underprivileged, and discriminated against.
Of these groups, members and organizations of the LGBTQ community have been especially successful at harnessing the power of crowdfunding — both to fund groundbreaking and moving projects as well as to strengthen the ties of a growing international community. Indiegogo doesn’t just give this community a voice — it gives it a place for a call to action.
Below are just a few examples of the inspiring LGBTQ campaigns on Indiegogo:
Autostraddle: The Actual Website/Oakland, California
https://www.indiegogo.com/autostraddle-website
Autostraddle, a wildly successful, queer lady website, wants to update its site for a growing fanbase — and has turned to Indiegogo to make it happen. Less than a few days after launching their campaign, they have already eclipsed its goal of $40,000.
Out and Around: Stories From a Not-So-Straight Journey/San Francisco, California
https://www.indiegogo.com/outandaround
Jenni and Lisa, a couple based in San Francisco, are travelling around the world to find “Supergays” — people who are doing incredible things — in their own lives and for gay rights. They met their goal of $6,000 to cover the costs of documenting their trip online and through video.
Scrooge & Marley Post-Production/Chicago, Illinois
https://www.indiegogo.com/ScroogeMarley
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” with a modern, gay twist. With two weeks still to go in their campaign, they’ve raised over $16,200 to cover post-production. Their original goal was $10,000.
CAMP OUT 2012/Sydney, Australia
After a successful Indiegogo campaign in 2011, the Camp Out crew is back to make sure this year’s camp is just as inspiring for the kids, aged 13 to 17, who attend. Camp Out is the only camp of its kind in all of Australia — providing a supportive and safe place for LGBTIQ, gender diverse, and questioning teens to talk about their experiences and HAVE FUN.
Save QSaltLake – Utah’s Gay, LGBT, and ally magazine/Salt Lake City, Utah
https://www.indiegogo.com/save-qsaltlake
QSaltLake, Utah’s gay, LGBT and ally magazine, is facing today’s common publishing plight — decreased ad revenues. They are running a campaign to continue making their magazine and fighting against anti-gay-marriage forces.
DNC Marriage Equality Fund/Athens, Georgia
https://www.indiegogo.com/LGBTDNC
A pair of delegates elected to represent Georgia at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, are crowdfunding the expense of attending — so they can continue their fight for marriage equality.
Out in The Woods LGBT Youth Summer Camp and Music Festival/Greenwich NY, New York
https://www.indiegogo.com/Out-In-The-Woods-Queer-Youth-Summer-Camp
Organizers of Queer Spirit Camp, an LGBT summer camp for young adults, is raising money to cover the expenses of the 80 to 100 campers who will attend. Their campaign will also go toward putting on a music festival at the end of the summer.
Outside the Lines :: Montana Pride 2012/Bozeman, Montana
https://www.indiegogo.com/montanapride2012
A team of filmmakers used Indiegogo to fund a documentary on the 2012 Montana Pride weekend. Their goal was to show that pride is not something that can be contained within the couple days of a single weekend.
Chloe Dzubilo Celebration Fund/New York City, New York
https://www.indiegogo.com/Chloe-Dzubilo
Friends of Chloe Dzubilo, a Trans-activist, raised over $5,400 (original goal, $4,500) to celebrate her life and contribute to her favorite charities.
Other notable LGBTQ campaigns (among many) include The Wedding Dance…, Anna Anthropy World Tour 2012, and June and Nancy — a short about a gay wedding, a tour to spread the word of diversity in the videogame industry, and a play from the International Fringe Festival, respectively. We can’t wait to see what’s next.
Have a cause that matters to you? Start a campaign!
