Produce harm reduction kits with supplies for trans people taking injection-based gender affirming hormone therapy!

Each kit includes a 1 year supply of necessary medical equipment, worth approximately $65 when purchased at retail value (see below for kit makeup). They will be delivered to local frontline organizations embedded in the communities they serve, and will be distributed for free to trans people in need. Our initial focus will be on the Southeast US, with plans to grow the program nationally over the course of 2025.

Distribute Aid already has medical aid donors, supply-chain infrastructure, kit assembly capacity, and initial frontline grassroots distribution partners in place. We expect to produce up to 24,000 kits in 2025, which is enough to support 2% of all trans people taking HRT in the US or 10% of trans people taking DIY-HRT. Funds will be used to source / ship / store bulk supplies, assemble the kits, and support cost-of-living volunteer stipends for an aid sourcing coordinator and a field coordinator.

Access to gender affirming hormone therapy saves lives. [1][2] Unfortunately 25 states already have laws restricting or banning gender affirming care [3], including every state in the Southeast region. Lack of access is compounded by the fact that many trans people are economically precarious. [4] Upcoming court decisions [5] and proposed Trump administration policies [6] will pave the way to further errode access to hormone therapy.

Trans people will access gender affirming healthcare anyways. Do-It-Yourself hormone replacement therapy (DIY HRT) is already being produced and distributed in response to difficulties accessing affordable official care, due to cost, gatekeeping by healthcare practitioners, or discriminatory laws preventing legal access. [7]

We need to keep trans people safe. These kits reduce the financial burden of taking inject-based gender affirming hormone therapy, and the 1-year supply prevents disruption of care due to lack of funds / supply access. By providing safe, clean injection supplies, they also reduce needle reuse / sharing. Finally, our local-first approach to mutual aid supply-chains protects the privacy of recipients while strengthening local trans support networks.

Kit makeup:

• Luer-Lock Syringe
• Draw Needles (various sizes available)
• Injection Needles (various sizes available)
• Alcohol Wipes
• Bandaids
• Sharps Disposal Container