Butterfly Collective is an LGBTQ activist nonprofit organization that hosts art-centered fundraising events to fundraise for Black transgender individuals supposedly in need of financial assistance. ¹ Butterfly Collective partner of the anti-capitalist organization Midcoast MKE. ²

Butterfly Collective uses the identity politics concept of intersectionality to claim that Black transgender people are in greater need of communal and financial support than “any other demographic.” It also claims that the “biggest obstacle” transgender people face is a lack of resources, including knowledge on how to access hormone replacement therapy and find “gender affirming clothing.” ³

Background

Butterfly Collective is a Milwaukee-based organization founded in 2020 by Genie Green and JJ Draper to fundraise for providing welfare and social services to transgender individuals. Green states that they founded Butterfly Collective because there are not enough private philanthropy and public welfare services available to transgender individuals in need of financial support. ⁴

Butterfly Collective hosts a variety of events, such as art shows and music festivals, to support Black transgender people. ⁵ It also provides digital resources for individuals seeking information on how and where to get abortions, as well as financial assistance resources for individuals seeking abortions and organizations seeking donations to support transgender individuals. ⁶

Fundraising

As of October 2022, Butterfly Collective receives direct donation through Venmo and GoFundMe. Its GoFundMe page states that its goal is to raise money for Black transgender individuals who are in “dire need of support” in the Milwaukee area. It also states that its initial goal is to raise $2,500 to be able to give $100 to over 20 people. Interested individuals can apply for aid through a form on its linktree; however, as of October 2022 there was no form listed. ^{7 8}

Butterfly Collective sells a music album titled “Ballstomper” along with merchandise that is created by a variety of independent artists and distributed through Bandcamp.com. It states that all proceeds from the album go to Butterfly Collective. ⁹

BFly radio is the name of Butterfly Collective’s Patreon account that offers video commentary on LGBT and race issues and music, all of which is created by LGBT people. It advertises itself as serving the purpose of promoting artwork by LGBT individuals while fundraising for Butterfly Collective. ¹⁰

People

JJ Draper is a co-founder of Butterfly Collective and is a Youth Engagement Specialist for Ex Fabula. ¹¹ In a 2020 interview, he stated that because Black transgender people experience racism from white transgender people, he helped co-found the Butterfly Collective so there would be an organization that focused solely on providing aid to Black transgender people. ¹²

1. Slowey, Ben. “Helping Black and Brown Trans Folk in Milwaukee.” Shepherd Express, July 27, 2022. https://shepherdexpress.com/news/community-news/helping-black-and-brown-trans-folk-in-milwaukee/.
2. “Resources.” MIDCOAST Collective. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.midcoastcollective.org/resources.
3. “Interview with the Butterfly Collective.” Ripple of Change, December 23, 2021. https://www.rippleofchangemag.com/the-butterfly-collective/.
4. Slowey, Ben. “Helping Black and Brown Trans Folk in Milwaukee.” Shepherd Express, July 27, 2022. https://shepherdexpress.com/news/community-news/helping-black-and-brown-trans-folk-in-milwaukee/.
5. “Interview with the Butterfly Collective.” Ripple of Change, December 23, 2021. https://www.rippleofchangemag.com/the-butterfly-collective/.
6. “Butterflycollective.” Linktree. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://linktr.ee/butterflycollective
7. “Butterflycollective.” Linktree. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://linktr.ee/butterflycollective.
8. Draper, Jazmyn. “Butterfly Collective Mutual Aid Fund!” gofundme.com. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.gofundme.com/f/butterfly-collective-mutual-aid-fund?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico%2Bshare-sheet.
9. ^[1] Ballstomper. Butterfly Collaborative. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://ballstomper.bandcamp.com/.
10. “BFly Radio Is Creating Your New Favorite Radio Show for Queer Artistry in the 414.” Patreon. Accessed October 31, 2022. https://www.patreon.com/bflyradio.
11. Draper, JJ. “Meet JJ, Our New Youth Engagement Specialist!” Ex Fabula: Connecting Milwaukee through real stories, June 21, 2022. https://www.exfabula.org/meet-jj/.
12. Richardson, Olivia. “The Butterfly Collective Shoulders Support for Black and Brown Trans Folx.” Radio Milwaukee. 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, October 29, 2020. https://radiomilwaukee.org/story/uniquely-milwaukee/the-butterfly-collective-shoulders-support-for-black-and-brown-trans-folx/.