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Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFA)

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The Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA) is a left-of-center nonprofit organization based in Charleston, South Carolina that advocates for LGBT interests. 1 The organization supports permitting the participation of transgender women born as males in women’s sports. 2 3

Background

Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA) was founded in 1998 in Charleston, South Carolina.  The organization champions the interests of queer persons and aims to educate individuals on key concepts and terminology about the LGBT community. 4

AFFA works together with We Are Family to oversee the Trans Love Fund (TLF), a fund created to grant assistance to transgender individuals in South Carolina. The fund encompasses various expenses, including medical, legal, and emergency living expenses. 5 In addition to having a space for kids ages ten and below, 6 the organization also provides gender transition-related gear like “chest binders,” “packers,” and “trans tape” to youth. 7

Leadership

Chase Glenn, a transgender who identifies as male, holds the position of executive director of Alliance for Full Acceptance. Glenn is also the founder of Chase Glenn Consulting LLC, an organization providing training and organizational consulting services specifically tailored for LGBTQ individuals and businesses. 8 Before taking the role at AFFA, Glenn worked as a customer success manager at Blackbaud, a cloud software company. 9

Colleen Condon holds the position of president on the board of the Alliance for Full Acceptance. 10 Collen is a member of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Family Law Institute. 11 She spent 16 years as a Managing Partner at Condon Family Law and Mediation, an organization with a primary focus on assisting queer families. Collen was also a Blackbaud employee for six years. 12

Ashley Peele is the vice president of the board of directors at AFFA. 13 In 2019, Ashley ran as a candidate for the Mayor of North Charleston, where she advocated for LGBT representation and spoke out in opposition to hate crimes against LGBT people. 14

Catherine Carter serves on the board as the treasurer of AFFA. Catherine is a member of the Democratic Party in Charleston where she advocates for social issues concerning women and the LGBT community. 15

Activities

In 2019, Alliance for Full Acceptance collaborated with Frothy Beard Brewing Company to organize a diversity workshop at the brewery to discuss heterosexual and cisgender privilege and emphasize the importance of collaboration within the LGBTQ community. 16 A few months after, AFFA, Charleston Pride, and We Are Family collaborated to establish “Closet Case Thrift Store” for gender neutral shopping and “Equality Hub”, the first LGBTQ+ building in Lowcountry, Carolina. 17

On February 23, 2021, during a South Carolina House Special Laws Committee hearing, AFFA executive director Chase Glenn voiced his opposition to H3477, a bill that sought to restrict the participation of transgender women who were born male in women’s sports. 18

In 2023, AFFA and its sister advocacy organization AFFA Action initiated a media campaign called “God Loves Trans Kids and LGBTQ+ People.” The campaign featured the display of six billboards across Laurens County. Among them, one billboard proclaimed “REJOICE! GOD LOVES TRANS KIDS,” while another conveyed the message “GOD LOVES LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.” AFFA also collaborated with Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and other LGBT-interest organizations to officially declare June as Pride Month in Charleston. 19

AFFA is among the 200+ LGBT organizations that endorsed a statement prepared by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 20 calling for an apology from Target regarding the handling of their pride merchandise during Pride month. The statement was issued in response to Target’s decision to move Pride merchandise to the back of stores and remove certain items entirely amid criticism Target for including a bathing suit in its Pride collection that it labeled as “tuck friendly.” 21

Financials

Tax returns from 2018 to 2021 indicate that the entirety of AFFA’s total revenue was derived from donations. In 2016, AFFA reported a total revenue of $346,090, which decreased to $271,163 by 2021. 22

References

  1. “LGBTQ Cultural Competency Training.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/training/
  2. Stinson, Antonio. “Grand Opening of Equality Hub Gives the LGBTQ+ Community a Place to Meet in North Charleston.” WCBD News 2, August 11, 2019. https://www.counton2.com/news/grand-opening-of-equality-hub-gives-the-lgbtq-community-a-place-to-meet-in-north-charleston/
  3. Polaski, Adam. “Chase Glenn of the Alliance for Full Acceptance Speaks out against H3477.” South Carolina United for Justice & Equality, February 23, 2021. https://www.southcarolinaunited.org/stories/chase-glenn
  4. “Our Mission.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 10, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/mission/
  5. “Trans Love Fund.” We Are Family. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://wearefamilycharleston.org/tlf.
  6. “Kidspace.” We Are Family. Accessed July 11, 2023. https://wearefamilycharleston.org/kidspace
  7. “Gender-Affirming Gear.” We Are Family Charleston. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://wearefamilycharleston.org/tgnc-gear.
  8. “Meet the AFFA Leadership Team.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/leadership/
  9.  Founder & CEO – chase glenn consulting LLC – linkedin. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaseglenn
  10.  “Meet the AFFA Leadership Team.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/leadership/.
  11. “National Center for Lesbian Rights.” InfluenceWatch, November 20, 2020. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/national-center-for-lesbian-rights/
  12. Colleen Condon – Managing Partner/ Family Court attorney – linkedin. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-condon-833716a2
  13.   “Meet the AFFA Leadership Team.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/leadership/
  14. Reports, Staff. “Ashley Peele Believes That North Charleston’s Leader Should Reflect Its Varied Culture.” Charleston City Paper, October 11, 2021. https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2019/08/14/ashley-peele-believes-that-north-charlestons-leader-should-reflect-its-varied-culture/
  15.  “Meet the AFFA Leadership Team.” Alliance for Full Acceptance. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.affa-sc.org/leadership/
  16.  Beese, Wilson. “Frothy Beard Brewing Co. Partners with AFFA to Increase LGBTQ Awareness.” WCIV, May 24, 2019. https://abcnews4.com/news/local/frothy-beard-brewing-co-partners-with-affa-to-increase-lgbtq-awareness
  17. Stinson, Antonio. “Grand Opening of Equality Hub Gives the LGBTQ+ Community a Place to Meet in North Charleston.” WCBD News 2, August 11, 2019. https://www.counton2.com/news/grand-opening-of-equality-hub-gives-the-lgbtq-community-a-place-to-meet-in-north-charleston/
  18. Polaski, Adam. “Chase Glenn of the Alliance for Full Acceptance Speaks out against H3477.” South Carolina United for Justice & Equality, February 23, 2021. https://www.southcarolinaunited.org/stories/chase-glenn
  19. Miller, Lindsay. “City of Charleston Proclaims June as Pride Month.” WCBD News 2, June 26, 2023. https://www.counton2.com/news/latest-news/city-of-charleston-proclaims-june-as-pride-month/
  20. “Human Rights Campaign.” InfluenceWatch, April 12, 2022. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/human-rights-campaign/
  21. Sahakian, Teny, and Hannah Grossman. “LGBTQ+ Groups Wreck Target for Having No ‘Cojones’: ‘Just Stay out of It.’” Fox News, June 8, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/media/exclusive-lgbtq-groups-wreck-target-for-having-no-cahones-some-prepare-boycott-just-stay-out-it
  22. “Alliance for Full Acceptance.” Alliance For Full Acceptance – GuideStar Profile. Accessed July 6, 2023. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/57-1072394
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