LCCL has partnered with Trans Minors Rights (TMR) for the last several years. Trans Minors Rights’ origins can be traced back to a tragic incident in 2014 when a 17-year-old girl named Leelah Alcorn took her own life because her family denied her the medical treatment that she needed to transition. Some of her last words were “Fix society. Please.” TMR’s founder and president was impassioned by these words and started a petition in the summer of 2015, shortly after Leelah’s death. This petition begged the public to pass a law in Pennsylvania, protecting transgender minors across the state by allowing them to receive puberty blockers without requiring the consent of a parent. The petition got over 380 signatures, but that wasn’t enough to get our representatives to hear.
Fix society. Please.
TMR was officially incorporated as a nonprofit in PA in July 2020, and the founder now had a volunteer team working toward the same goal. Their official mission was to empower transgender youth by educating our communities on issues facing young transgender people and providing youth with the knowledge and tools they need to combat gender dysphoria. The petition was a significant focus of TMR’s work for the first few years of its existence. As of June 2024, the petition had over 5500 signatures! But things changed for TMR in the wake of the 2024 election. With a rapidly changing national climate, TMR leadership decided it was essential to shift its focus away from the petition and prioritize supporting the local community.
As the climate and economy shifted, TMR’s all-volunteer team was struggling to continue the work they had started. They were still passionately committed to their mission, but their board no longer had the capacity to run TMR. They did not want TMR’s work to stop, so in January 2025, they approached Lancaster County Chooses Love to discuss a potential merger, as they felt that TMR’s work and mission aligned with what we were already doing in the community.
LCCL and TMR pursue the merger.
Our board and leadership began discussing this in February 2025, and in March 2025, the board voted to move forward with an assessment of TMR’s assets, debts and liabilities, programming, etc., and to explore the merger further with a lawyer. In May 2025, after reviewing all the information, our board voted to move forward with the merger, excited to bring our resources together with TMR’s to better serve the community!
Our lawyers began working on this and shared that it can be a slow process. There were several steps both organizations had to take—lots of paperwork and signatures. It took some time, but the state officially approved our merger on April 27, 2026!
As we were just over a month away from our Pride festival, leadership from both organizations talked and agreed to wait until after the festival to make the announcement and that we would announce the merger before the end of Pride month.
What’s Next?
We are excited to officially move forward with this merger and integrate TMR’s work into the work we are already doing. LCCL has been helping trans folks connect with gender affirming care, access gender affirming items (like binders), and advocating within healthcare systems and with healthcare professionals to ensure trans folks can access affirming care. Merging with TMR will strengthen this work in several ways:
- Increased focus on youth: As our Director of Programs and Youth Advocacy, this is a huge priority area for Stephanie. She will continue to use TMR’s resources and assets to further this work.
- TMR’s Educational Materials: TMR has some excellent educational materials, such as their Gender-Affirming How-To Guide for healthcare professionals, that we will integrate on our website in the coming months. Staff will also share these materials with all healthcare professionals they interact with at work.
- Binder and Tuck Kit Giveaway: TMR has focused on providing free binders and tuck kits to trans youth. While we have some resources for this, TMR’s resources will allow us to increase access to these items!
- Intergenerational Programming: TMR prioritized creating opportunities for intergenerational connections through programs like their Trans Youth and Trans Elders Bingo. Over the last year, we have been building the Queer Youth Collective and the 50+ LGBT+ group, THRIVE. We are in the early stages of planning some intergenerational events with these groups and plan to make this an ongoing aspect of our programming.
By merging together, we believe that we will be stronger and better able to support our community. We are excited to continue the work of advocating for and protecting our trans youth!
We would love to hear from folks previously involved at TMR about other ways to incorporate TMR’s programming. If you have ideas about this, please email Laura@LancasterChoosesLove.org
We know it can sometimes feel like the world is full of bad news, but we can take heart in the fact that our community continues to come together with strength and resilience to care for each other.
We are so grateful that TMR’s leadership is trusting us with the next chapter of their work. If you’d like to get more involved in supporting our trans youth, please email Stephanie@LancasterChoosesLove.org
With Love,
The LCCL Team
Supporting the continuation of TMR’s work.
We know these are challenging times for our community, especially for trans youth. That’s why it matters so much that we come together, care for each other, and keep building the resources and support our community needs.
Keeping this work going takes steady support from our community. Monthly donors give us the reliable funding to plan ahead, grow youth programs, share binders and tuck kits, offer educational resources, and keep connecting trans community members with affirming care.
When you become a monthly donor, you help make sure TMR’s work keeps growing as part of Lancaster County Chooses Love. Together, we can carry this next chapter forward and keep showing up for trans youth across Lancaster County. Sign up to become a monthly donor here.
