A Cavern of Need for LGBTQ+ Students

A message from REAP founder and executive director Paul Southwick:

The work that we’ve been doing this year at the Religious Exemption Accountability Project is some of the most personal and most impactful I’ve ever been fortunate enough to be a part of, and I’m so grateful that you’re with us in this fight.

We’ve built up undeniable momentum. We released an unprecedented research report. We filed a historic class-action lawsuit against the Department of Education’s policy of granting a broad religious exemption to the federal Title IX law, which prohibits anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Our work was covered by The Washington Post, CNN, and Teen Vogue. Hundreds of thousands of folks online have engaged in robust conversation about dignity for LGBTQ+ students at religious schools. And we’ve heard from so many LGBTQ+ students who have faced discrimination. Now they know that they’re not alone – and they’re asking REAP for help.

In the past nine months, we scratched the surface of injustice at religious schools – and in doing so, we opened up an enormous cavern. There is just such tremendous, urgent need from LGBTQ+ students. And we’re the only national organization solely dedicated to this work.

But the reality is that all of these efforts require money – and REAP needs to raise $10,000 by December 31st in order to sustain our work in 2022.

We have hundreds of hours of legal work, plus filing fees for our case and for the dozens of Title IX complaints we’ve filed on behalf of students. We have a team working around the clock to answer messages from students who need support and are looking for help in organizing their own resistance to anti-LGBTQ abuse.

This is really a make-or-break moment for REAP. And we need your help. We need to raise $10,000 by the end of the year, or we're going to have to start making hard decisions about where to focus our energy as an organization.

There is just so much need – and I know that we can rise to meet the challenge. But to do that, we need financial support.

Can you kick in a donation? Nothing is too small – $10, $25, $50 – but if you're able to give more, $100 or a few hundred, please know that we'll put it to use right away.

REAP and LGBTQ students nationwide are changing the conversation about LGBTQ equality in religious spaces. And we want you with us as we strive forward.

Thank you!

Paul Soutwick

Founder and Executive Director

REAP