Tegan and Sara Launch LGBTQ Foundation

Tegan and Sara have launched their own LGBTQ foundation for women and girls. The Tegan and Sara Foundation will work with similar groups to support “economic justice, health, and representation for LGBTQ girls and women,” based on principles of “feminism and racial, social and gender justice,” according to its mission statement. The duo go on to say the foundation will counter “the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration”, in a letter published on the website. See excerpts below, read it in full here, and donate here.

Since the beginning of our career, our LGBTQ  fans have supported us in innumerable ways. Our journey navigating sexism and homophobia in the music industry has always been interwoven with the stories you share with us. Your personal histories of injustice and discrimination at home, school, work, and church have inspired us to use our public status to speak out about the struggles of the LGBTQ community. 

LGBTQ women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of poverty, health issues and inequality. LGBTQ women of color, especially  transgender women often experience these issues even more severely due to racism and transphobia. Today, given the state of politics in the United States, we must continue to unite and fight for our rights and against all forms of oppression.  

Through the Tegan and Sara Foundation, we can be proactive with our support rather than wait to react to discrimination as it occurs. We will support the work of other organizations who have been fighting for LGBTQ and women's rights by raising funds and awareness for their initiatives. We will fight against the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration. We will fight against regressive homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic legislation. We will fight for economic, racial and gender justice. We started the Foundation to dismantle the systems of inequity that prevent LGBTQ girls and women from reaching their full potential. Together, we can make a difference. 

Watch Tegan and Sara on Pitchfork.tv’s “Over/Under”:

via Jazz Monroe