Politics
24 Trump-Fighting Charities That Need Your Dollars
It's Giving Tuesday. So give to charities that will fight for your rights.
November 29 2016 6:32 AM EST
December 01 2017 6:42 AM EST
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In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, here are some organizations that have committed to fighting Donald Trump's repressive and regressive policies.
1. People for the American Way
This organization remains committed to one mission: equality in America. Focused on preserving the rights of the marginalized in court, the organization already warns of the disastrous consequences of a Trump Supreme Court. "With the addition of just two Trump justices, a Trump Supreme Court would have the votes to overrule the Court's landmark ruling on equal marriage rights in the 5-4 Obergefell decision," the organization notes. Since Trump appears to get a gimme justice on day one thanks to Senate obstruction of President Obama's last appointee, PFAW is already getting ready for a confirmation fight.
2. Human Rights Campaign
The biggest of all LGBT groups, HRC may not have been able to that other HRC into the White House, but it seems poised to plague Trump for the years he is there. This campaign not only lobbies for your rights -- it grades the outcomes of policy on gender and sexual minorities as well as HIV-positive Americans. Already the organization has put out a handy Q&A on the rights that Trump can't easily destroy (marriage equality) and the ones at critical risk (nondiscrimination protections for transgender people).
3. Planned Parenthood
Big star or not, Donald Trump can't grab at your pussy without fighting Planned Parenthood first. This battle-word organization fended off assaults from Congress countless times in the past six years -- and it's only made the group tougher. After Trump's election, Planned Parenthood launched it's #WeWontGoBack campaign and promised to fight for reproductive rights (including abortion), universal health care, marriage equality, and LGBT rights. "We are the real majority," reads a Planned Parenthood statement, "and we will show up and shut down any attempts to take away our rights, harm us and our loved ones, and jeopardize our future."
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org
4. ACLU
A day after Trump won the election, the American Civil Liberties Union already was on the case. In a statement, the organization known for fighting government infringement on a variety of rights sent a clear message: Change course of they'll see you in court. "These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional," said ACLU executive director Anthony Romero of many of Trump's ideas. "They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step." From threats of Muslim deportation policies to changes in libel law, researchers already are hard at work preparing briefs.
5. Southern Poverty Law Center
There is no one better at identifying hate groups than the Southern Poverty Law Center. Since no president in modern times relied as heavily as Trump on the support of the KKK and its ilk, that makes the center's work more critical than ever. The group already has publicized the spike in hate crimes since Election Day (more than 700 so far). Now the organization has been a leading voice critiquing Trump appointments of white nationalists like Steve Bannon.
6. NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People remains the longest-serving organization dedicated to fighting for civil rights of people of color. After the disastrous 2016 election exposed what can happen after the court decimation of the Voting Rights Act, the NAACP shone a light on the millions of Americans whose right to vote was obstructed or denied. The group recently saw legal victories against suppression efforts in North Carolina and Texas, but expect more battles on the way.
7. Council on American-Islamic Relations
Don't let phobia win. While Trump seems ready to hold hostage the rights of all Muslim Americans, CAIR for decades has worked both to educate the public on mainstream Islamic faith and prevent Trump efforts like the creation of a national Muslim registry. Events like the attack on Pulse have sharpened tensions between LGBT people and Islam. But as mosques receive pro-Trump hate mail, it's worth remembering that the common enemy remains an incoming administration willing to use civil rights as a political ploy. And there are progressive and LGBT-friendly Muslims too.
8. Americans for Immigrant Justice
No nasty cause enjoyed greater resurgence in the Trump age than the bashing of immigrants. With an administration flirting with such notions as deportation forces, you can bet the legal warriors at AI Justice will have plenty of work today seeking legal asylum and leading clients into residency and citizenship programs.
9. Sylvia Rivera Law Project
With trans rights under assault in states like North Carolina and a president that seems to withdraw every promising statement on the issue as quickly as the haters start blowing up his phone, efforts like the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which seeks to guarantee people's freedom to self-determine and express their gender identity, will be more important than ever. The project seeks both financial and legal empowerment for everybody across the spectrum of gender, and their opponents have become more emboldened than ever.
10. Lambda Legal
Lambda Legal for 40 years has led the way in advocating for the legal rights of HIV-positive and LGBT individuals. CEO Rachel Tiven promises to fight on during the Trump administration and says support is more important than ever for youth who feel unsafe at school, workers who fear for their jobs if they get outed, and HIV-positive people who can get dropped by insurance companies at any moment. She also made particular note of "undocumented LGBT immigrants who came to America to escape oppression ... and who face deportation back to intolerant homelands."
11. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Tomorrow always brings another election, and every seat in the House of Representatives will be up for grabs in 2018. With a polarizing Republican like Trump at the wheel, Democrats hope Americans will again thirst for change the next time they get to the ballot box, but only if the DCCC (that's D-triple-C if you want to sound smart) has the resources to win the next go-round, especially considering the nasty gerrymandered maps on which the blue team has to play.
12. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Oh, yeah, the Senate too. Despite a depressing outcome in the electoral college, that plurality of voters selecting Democrats did manage to give the party a net gain of two Senate seats this year, which means a little more headache for Trump and turtle sidekick Mitch McConnell. But that map looks rough for Democrats seeking Senate seats, with many a blue incumbent on defense. Then again, that's how it looked in 2006 and Democrats took over the chamber that year. Maybe with the right resources, the same will happen again.
13. Know Your IX
Trump prevailed despite some X-rated behavior and a memorably disgusting gloat aboard an Access Hollywood bus, but Know Your IX promises not to sit by and see rape culture normalized. Ostensibly named for its mission to educate college students about their Title IX rights, the group also gives voice to survivors of sexual assault and offers channels for reporting sexual harassment. The group has publicly questioned whether Trump's election will turn back the clock on campus assault and committed to make sure it does not.
14. Immigration Impact
A project of the American Immigration Council, this organization is geared for a major fight with a president hostile to millions of immigrants in this country. The group busily fact-checks the Donald (he says there are 3 million undocumented immigrants who are criminals; the true number is closer to 820,000) and will be lobbying against deportation policy both from the White House and the halls of Congress.
15. Emily's List
Looking for some "nasty women" of the political persuasion? Log off Craigslist and check out Emily's List, an organization that trains Democratic women (who are pro-choice) in the basics of running for office, from school board to senator. The group had a hand in getting four women elected to the U.S. Senate this year (Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Maggie Hassan). And while that highest of glass ceilings remains, Trump surely can see the women ready to break through and send him back to Trump Tower.
16. Transgender Law Center
This group, which boasts of "Making Authentic Lives Possible," doesn't sugarcoat the threat of a Trump presidency. "Today, we are facing a devastating reality. A demagogue who has pledged to destroy our communities and campaigned on open and enthusiastic contempt for our lives -- as transgender people, as people of color, as people of different faiths and abilities and citizenship status -- has been elected to the highest office in our country," said Transgender Law Center executive director Kris Hayashi in a statement. But the organization wants to preserve the legal wins of recent years while fighting for further justice for trans and gender-nonconforming people. "It is unthinkably cruel that we who have survived so much hatred and violence woke up this morning to a society further emboldened to target and demean us. But we are resilient," Hayashi said.
https://transgenderlawcenter.org
17. Anti-Defamation League
Israel hard-liners aside, opponents of anti-Semitism have already signaled that Trump's appeal to hate won't be welcome. The Anti-Defamation League released a study in October detailing the rise in hate speech against Jews, particularly journalists, during Trump's ascendancy, and it's keeping a running score on deplorables hired into the Trump administration like alt-right leader Stephen Bannon.
18. Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights
Remember when Donald Trump normalized the term "anchor baby," even to the point where previously pro-immigrant Republicans like Jeb Bush started using the term as well? No one has at the Young Center, an organization focused on protecting the children of immigrants. The organization got barraged with calls immediately after Trump's surprising White House win but now is poised to fight for the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children.
19. Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
Donald Trump dismisses climate change as quickly as he labels sexual assault accusers as liars. That makes the work of this group, which fights for the rights of scientists to continue research and endeavors free of political assault. With a White House that seems to value meeting the bottom line over taking our last breath, expect the battle between scientists and powerful ignorance to escalate in coming years.
https://climatesciencedefensefund.org
20. National Council of La Raza
With a president who makes accusations about illegal immigrants rigging elections even after he wins, the work of an organization encouraging civic engagement from Latino voters will prove invaluable. As the Make America Gtreat Again crowd shouts "fraud" whenever people of color stand in line at the polls, La Raza leaders will continue to encourage immigrants to stay involved in politics, especially with an adversary in the highest office in the land.
21. Everytown for Gun Safety
While Donald Trump has used the Pulse tragedy to jingoistically juice up xenophobia, Islamophobia, and fear in general, Everytown for Gun Safety has used the tragedy to push for common-sense gun control legislation. The election this year wasn't good news, but families of those lost in mass shootings continue to work through this organization to lobby lawmakers and appeal to their human decency.
22. ProPublica
A fight for truthful journalism is a fight against the Trump administration. Fake news played too great a role in Trump's election this year, but investigative journalism remains a costly expense for many media outlets that are supposed to hold the new administration responsible for its actions. ProPublica uses a nonprofit model to produce and disseminate investigative reporting. Check out the home page now to see a series of stories on the incoming administration that simply haven't gotten much play on cable news. ProPublica employs the greatest Kryptonite for Trump policy: facts.
23. Amnesty International
Defending human rights may have just gotten more dangerous with the election of Donald Trump. Amnesty International noted the Republican's victory this year was part of a worldwide trend toward nationalist leadership. Calling Trump vision of the future "bleak," the organization has promised to defend the victims of violence, harassment, and discrimination, both in the United States and abroad.
24. GLAAD
GLAAD, which has pushed for better representation of LGBT individuals in the media and political realms for years, now has dedicated the Trump Accountability Project to databasing the hateful rhetoric and discriminatory policy sure to continue to spew from Trump and his alt-right minions. The group for years has tracked statements by noted homophobes like Tony Perkins and Ralph Reed, but keeping tabs on the incoming hater in chief may demand more work than ever.
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