Denver nonprofit helps transgender people who don't feel safe where they live move to Colorado
Dec 20, 2024
DENVER Since President-elect Donald Trump's re-election in November, a Denver nonprofit has been inundated with requests for help.The Trans Continental Pipeline (TCP) helps transgender people who don't feel safe in the states where they live move to Colorado where protections are stronger. The nonprofit helps with the costs and logistics of moving and connects participants with housing in the Denver metro, offering up to a month of free rent through its housing network.Keira Richards started TCP eight months ago out of need and the dating app, Tinder. "Purely need-based. Mostly out of Tinder, actually. My friends and I started seeing a lot of people coming into town saying, I'm new here. I don't know anyone. And Tinder is one of the first places people go. How else do you make connections, I guess. So we started name-trading. That developed into a mutual aid network. And that developed into a nonprofit. And here we are."The group received 22 requests for relocation help in October. Following the election, TPC saw more than 400 requests, according to Richards, and has a waiting list of more than 1,000."I've seen families with middle schoolers. The oldest I've seen, I believe, was mid-70s. All identities. All races, religions, creeds. Just every walk of life," said Richards. "We have people reaching out saying they were recently a victim of a hate crime and fearing for their lives. We have people reaching out saying, 'We've been planning this for a minute. We have a couple of questions.' It really runs the gamut. Everything in between."Richards said TCP is the first nonprofit of its kind that she's aware of. TCP and its 12 volunteers have successfully relocated 100 people so far, according to Richards.