OutFront Kalamazoo Announces Gender-Affirming Care Fund
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2025
CONTACT:
Heather Sanford, Communications & Advocacy Manager
269-349-4234
heather@outfrontkzoo.org
KALAMAZOO, MI – A fund-matching campaign for a new Gender-Affirming Care initiative was announced at OutFront Kalamazoo’s “Trans Out Loud! Trans History Month Open Mic” event on Saturday, August 30.
Thanks to contributions from local donors Dr. Jack Hopkins (he/him) and Dr. Karen Hopkins (she/her), OutFront Kalamazoo is able to guarantee dollar-for-dollar fund matching for all donations up to $10,000.
The initiative, temporarily titled the Gender-Affirming Care Fund, will provide financial aid to members of Kalamazoo County seeking gender-affirming medical interventions including laser hair removal, chest procedures, genital reconstruction, facial gender surgeries, voice surgery, and more. Detailed application instructions and parameters will be announced when the organization is ready to begin distributing funds.
A committee of up to seven individuals will review applications and determine final distribution of the funds. Committee members will be selected based on lived experiences, professional background, and other factors that ensure the committee as a whole represents a diverse and inclusive range of identities and credentials. Once the committee is assembled, the fund’s official name will be determined and procedures for application, selection, and distribution of funds will be finalized.
“Gender-affirming care is necessary, life-saving healthcare,” said Executive Director Christopher Terkos (he/him). “As barriers to healthcare increase every day across our country, it is up to us as a community to protect our trans siblings in any way we can. The more you donate, the more people we can help.”
Donations to the Gender Affirming Care Fund can be made at https://secure.everyaction.com/H7JskMxelE6fosM9SVcsUg2.
OutFront Kalamazoo is a non-profit, charitable organization whose mission is to create a just, inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment in Southwest Michigan for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions.
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