Mercury Stardust 2nd Annual TikTok-a-thon Breaks Historic Record for Funds Raised for Trans Healthcare

Standing in solidarity with the trans community, Mercury Stardust, professional home maintenance tech, burlesque performer, and award-winning activist, is hosting the Mercury Stardust 2nd Annual TikTok-a-thon with special guest and co-host Jory (aka AlluringSkull). This is a fundraiser designed to raise money for trans healthcare. All funds raised will benefit Point of Pride, a nonprofit dedicated to helping transgender people “feel seen and supported through access to live-saving health and wellness services”.

Mercury Stardust is widely known as the ‘Trans Handy Ma’am’, bringing a unique brand of compassionate education to those with home repair needs. This love of DIY knowledge earned Mercury over 2 million followers on TikTok, where she shares her expertise on all things home maintenance. Indicating a strong desire to use her platform to give back to the community that means so much to her, Mercury seeks to raise $1 million for transgender healthcare with this year’s fundraiser.

“I believe very strongly in intersectionality. I think it’s what gets you through the hardest times and I believe very strongly in understanding that… We cannot do this alone and we should bark at anyone that gate-keeps these things. We should stay together, support each other and uplift each other’s voices, and hope for a better tomorrow,” says Mercury regarding their views on solidarity within the LGBTQIA community.

Joining Mercury to co-host this year’s fundraiser is Jory (aka AlluringSkull online), a content creator, advocate, and artist. Jory quickly became a figurehead for Black trans rights when a livestream of her arrest during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 went viral. Sharing the hardships she has faced as a Black trans woman in her online content, Jory created a space that seeks to improve the quality of life for so many marginalized Americans. With over 2.5 million followers on social media, Jory shares her insight on social issues, beauty and fashion, and comedy because she believes advocacy and joy are the keystones of liberation.

“Gender-affirming care is a survival tool for some trans people. From the self perception and how it pertains to rates of suicidality to the ability to attain work and survive. Gender-affirming care can encompass and resolve so many issues that trans people face internally and societally,” says Jory.

In this fundraiser’s inaugural year, Mercury set out to raise $24,000 in 24 hours, but inevitably she raised $120,000-plus in donations in a single day. This year, during her livestream event on TikTok, Mercury aims to raise $1 million for trans healthcare in 30 hours. The official fundraiser starts at 5 p.m. eastern time today, March 30. Giving this fundraiser a pre-game boost, Mercury and Jory raised over $340,000 during a livestream on March 29, 2023.

Update: After meeting their initial $1 million goal in the first six hours of the 30-hour livestream, Mercury and Jory set their sights on a stretch goal of $2 million and exceeded that goal by the end of the Mercury Stardust 2nd Annual TikTok-a-thon. Historically, the grand total of $2.2 million raised is the largest amount of funds ever raised by trans people for trans people.

@mercurystardust@alluringskull Thank to all 50k people who donated and the millions of people who watched throughout the day. xoxo@thatannamarie And thanknyou to Anna Marie for sharing this moment with us all xoxo Love you friend.♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic

The importance of gender-affirming care has become the topic of hot debate in the United States. With over 170 bills introduced to ban or severely limit access for essential care for trans individuals, access to resources is more important than ever. According to the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, transgender adolescents and young adults experience a higher rate of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation than their cisgender peers. Several medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, endorse gender-affirming care for transgender people and youth, yet despite these findings, transgender affirming healthcare is still under attack.

All funds raised through the Mercury Stardust 2nd Annual TikTok-a-thon will go to support Point of Pride which provides free chest binders and femme shapewear, mailed discreetly to recipients in all 50 states with 100 countries served. This program also provides access to permanent hair removal services for trans femmes, often considered a cosmetic luxury and unaffordable for many in the community. This fund also makes gender-affirming surgery and HRT services available to trans folks, many of whom lack the financial resources and/or inclusive health insurance coverage needed to obtain healthcare. The vast majority of recipients of Point of Pride services are trans youth, people with disabilities, and those living in regions where access to this care is sparse.

Point of Pride is a trans-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides gender-affirming support to trans folks across the country and around the world.

Feature image credit Mercury Stardust

Updated 04/02/2023 14:21 MT