Season of Giving: A Queer Nonprofit Auction by Haus of Other

It’s giving philanthropy.

I began this journey with Haus of Other in January of this year with the full intention of giving back. I wanted to create a safe space for the queer community—somewhere we could process the pain and fear of the second Trump regime through art. As my ideas tend to do, that intention quickly snowballed into two immersive, costumed events; raising money for various queer charities; hosting monthly free crafting nights; and collaborating with queer organizations on their fundraisers and galas.

In our inaugural year, we’ve worked with Trans Lifeline, YouthSeen, The Center on Colfax, Aurora Pride, The Delores Project, The Alexander Foundation, Denver Food Rescue, and Colorado Health Network. We’ve also been featured in The Denver Post, Westword, and OFM. Now, after 11 months of growing pains, intense stress, and unforeseeable obstacles, I’m ending the year grounded in trust, love, peace, and overwhelming gratitude. To honor that, I am launching one final campaign to support queer charity in Colorado: Haus of Other presents Season of Giving.

Affectionately known as SOG—which, let’s be honest, is hilarious—Season of Giving is a 10-day online auction featuring five one-of-a-kind, avant-garde looks I created for RedBall 2025. Each piece was inspired by a facet of queer resilience: Legacy, Love, Blood, Bone, and Hope. It occurred to me that auctioning these looks and donating a portion of the proceeds to the organizations we worked with this year would not only free up some space in my garage workshop, but also allow me to end the year on a high note and express my gratitude for the groups that uplift our community.

I also want to highlight the work of photographer Becky Duffyhill, who took my art and enmeshed it with hers to create powerful, evocative images that capture the true artistry and intention of these pieces. Seeing my work through her eyes has been inspiring, liberating, and deeply affirming.

Here is a breakdown of the looks and their benefiting organizations:

Legacy

Inspired by the legacy of our community’s battle with HIV/AIDS—and by those we lost as well as those who survived. This look features a large red AIDS bow in disco ribbon, a rainbow-rhinestoned corset, and velour bellbottoms with ruched glitter-tulle trim.

Benefiting: Colorado Health Network, honoring their enduring legacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ+ community.

Love

Love comes in many forms and can play out like a dramatic stage production—but it requires maintenance to survive. I depicted Love with a heart-shaped, Orpheum-style hood painted with a garden of roses and thorns. The look also includes a sacred-heart brooch, a bejeweled gold corset, and wide-leg pajama pants sewn from a sari as a nod to my Sri Lankan heritage.

Benefiting: OUT FRONT Magazine, which has consistently shown love to our community by archiving the queer Denver experience since the 1970s.

Blood

One thing I learned from my mom’s battle with leukemia is that blood is resilient. Our bloodlines and heritage—the things that run through us—are resilient too. I depicted Blood as a sequin-and-fringe ball gown with sculptural elements inspired by the double helix of DNA.

Benefiting: Queer Business Alliance, because the alliances that bind us together—and the support of those who came before—are the lifeblood of our community and queer businesses alike.

Bone

The strongest parts of the human body are the bones, and like legacy, they remain long after we leave these physical forms. I focused on skeletal structure for this look, creating “bones” from layers of horsehair and tulle. The ensemble includes a letterman-style jacket, shrug, boned mesh corset, skirt, and chaps.

Benefiting: The Center on Colfax, the backbone of Denver’s queer community and Pride.

Hope

Of all symbols of queer resilience, hope is perhaps the strongest. When everything else fails, hope often carries us through our hardest moments. In partnership with Nadia Evangelina, I found inspiration in the image of a dove flying free—its wings tinged with red to acknowledge the cost of hope. The look features a corset with a beaded, sequined dove, a winged harness, and a mermaid skirt with iridescent appliqué.

Benefiting: Denver Food Rescue, which offers hope by putting food directly on the tables of our queer family. In times of scarcity, that work is essential.

Haus of Other has enjoyed an incredible first year, and none of it would have been possible without the support of the queer community and the nonprofits that stand with us. We’re living in a time when our government is cutting funding for programs that support us at every turn. So what do we do? We do what we’ve always done: We take care of our own.

Maybe that looks like supporting nonprofits financially. Maybe that’s not realistic for you. If not, there are countless ways to give back this season—mentoring queer youth, checking in on queer elders, donating canned goods or gifts, or simply sharing and supporting initiatives like this online.

In a world that feels increasingly divided, we must come together and support one another.

It’s giving philanthropy.
It’s giving generosity.
It’s giving community.
It’s giving back.

Photos by Becky DuffyHill