A core part of Stonewall Youth’s mission is supporting LGBTQ2S+ youth to survive and thrive. To help accomplish this, we want to give you a gift to bring a little light to your winter!
Who’s Eligible: LGBTQ2S+ youth ages 12-21 who live in Thurston, Mason, or Lewis Counties in Washington state.
When you can request a gift: December 3, 2024 to January 31, 2025.
How to request a gift: You tell us what you want and we do our best to get it for you! Each eligible youth can spend up to $65 (including tax + postage) on one or more items. There are two ways to request a gift:
Come to any activity at Stonewall Youth between Dec. 3, 2024 - Jan. 31, 2025 and fill out a short request form.
If you are not able to attend any activities at Stonewall Youth during the specified time, click on the pink “Request a Winter Gift” button below.
Once we have your request, we order it online or purchase it locally. We can have it delivered to you or you can to pick up at our space in Olympia.
What you can get: That’s up to you, with a few exceptions noted in the “Persnickety Rules” section below. We encourage you to get something that makes you happy.
That could be something you “need” -- things like food, gift cards for gas and other transportation needs, gender-affirming items (such as cosmetics, wigs, and binders), clothes, self-care items, safe-sex items, school and creative items (such as notebooks and art supplies), etc.
Or it can be something that you just “want” and don’t think you’ll be able to buy yourself or get from someone else. We know that “needs” and “wants” vary greatly from person to person, so you get to choose a gift!
When you’ll receive your gift: We’ll do our best to get your requested gift to you ASAP! Please keep in mind that we have a small staff and delivery speed of purchased items isn’t something we can control!
You may not receive your gift for several weeks after you request it. Something to look forward to! We’ll keep in touch with you to let you know the delivery dates.
No Sex Toys:
We support the safe and consensual use of sex toys! We just don’t want to buy them for you. It’s important for staff at Stonewall Youth to maintain good boundaries with youth and buying a sex toy for a youth crosses those boundaries.
Choosing a sex toy is a personal journey. There are plenty of places you can purchase them online, including Etsy, Amazon, and stores like Good Vibrations. You can learn about sex toys online from places like Teen Health Source, Planned Parenthood, and Teen Vogue. There are also many reviews of sex toys, such as this one: “Best Sex Toys for Beginners.”
No Weapons:
We support self-defense. For a combination of legal and safety reasons, we won’t purchase gifts that are clearly weapons, such as stun guns, TASERs, or self-defense knives. Almost anything can be used as a weapon in a pinch: a book, a ball, a bat, a chair, or a word. Ask us if you need clarification on a specific request, but we are firm about not purchasing weapons. We sometimes make items like pepper spray available to when they attend events in-person, so feel free to talk to us about it!
We encourage learning self-defense! We like this article by a high school student: “Self-Defense is a Right. Let’s Make It Mandatory To Learn.” All of us should also be aware of how to keep ourselves safe in certain situations, such as when engaging in protests (Navigating Personal Safety While Taking Action As An LGBTQ Young Person) or while we’re online (Surveillance Self-Defense).
We have limited funds for the Gift Extravaganza. Right now we have enough to buy gifts for about 40 youth. We may be able to provide more gifts if we’re able to raise more money from our generous community donors!
Bring winter cheer to LGBTQ+ youth!
LGBTQ+ youth (ages 12-21) will be able to pick a gift for themselves up to a $65 value (including tax + postage). We empower youth autonomy in their gift choices: unhoused youth may need survival supplies, transgender youth may need gender affirming items, and many others may need self care and comfort items during these difficult times. Your donation will make a tangible difference in the lives of these youth!
Most donated funds will be dedicated for use by LGBTQ2S+ youth ages 12-21 who live in Thurston, Mason, or Lewis Counties in Washington state.
If we’re able to raise more than $4,000 from community donors, we may donate limited funds unused by youth in our region to nonprofits that provide funds or items to low-income LGBTQ2S+ youth in nearby states where trans youth are struggling to exist.
Extra funds may also be dedicated to our ongoing free Essential Items program that is available all year for LGBTQ+ youth, particularly youth who have limited funds or limited access to items that are essential to them such as: gender affirming items, survival gear for unhoused youth, transportation assistance (bus passes, fuel cards, etc.), school and art supplies, self-care and comfort items, and more!
