Gender Benders is a left-of-center pro-transgender advocacy, education, and training organization based in South Carolina. The group provides support and advocacy for transgender individuals in the south, and has efforts to reach approximately 600 members in states including South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The group also publishes resources and operates training programs for transgender teens and young adults. The group also engages in political advocacy and is a member of the steering committee for the South Carolina United for Justice and Equality coalition. ^{1 2 3}

Gender Benders has received funding from left-of-center funders including the Southern Partners Fund, the Tides Foundation, and NEO Philanthropy. ^{4 5}

Background

Ivy Hill, a South Carolina-based transgender activist, founded Gender Benders in 2011 as an advocacy group for transgender individuals in the southeastern United States. In 2013, the group hosted its first summer camp, now called Camp GB. Initially held in the basement of Hill’s parents’ home with 20 attendees, the camp grew to serve over 100 individuals “of all ages” at a campground in Georgia. The camp is the primary program offered by the organization. ^{6 7}

Activity

In addition to the group’s annual summer camp, Gender Benders offers trans health resource development, and training programs, as well as “leadership development programs, HIV prevention, intervention programs and supportive online spaces.” ⁸

The group offers resources on its website for name changes, crisis hotlines, LGBT resources specific to upstate South Carolina, and legal resources from the Campaign for Southern Equality. The group also publishes a resource called TRANS in the South, a directory of “Trans-Affirming Health and Legal Services Providers” which lists “TRANS friendly general practitioners, endocrinologists, attorneys, and more.” ⁹

The group also published research both independently and in partnership with the Campaign for Southern Equality through that organization’s Southern Equality Research and Policy Center (SERPC). ¹⁰ The group independently published a report from a survey it conducted regarding the health and well-being of transgender southerners in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that “LGBTQ Southerners across the board report a decline in physical health and an increase in stress. The impact was greater for trans and non-binary participants who were more likely to report a disruption in healthcare or an inability to access necessary prescription medications.” ¹¹

The group also operates training courses called “TRANS 101” and “TRANS 201,” which are respectively titled “What Everyone Needs to Know about Working with Transgender People” and “Advanced Training in Working with Transgender People.” ¹² Gender Benders founder Ivy Hill also developed a “trans sensitivity training program that was approved by the US Department of Justice under the Obama Administration.” ¹³

Funding

Gender Benders has received funding from left-of-center organizations including the Southern Partners Fund, the Tides Foundation, the Campaign for Southern Equality, Afterwork Theater, Aids United, Wild Geese Foundation, Borealis Philanthropy, Rhino Resistance Fund, the Spartanburg County Foundation, the Yelp Foundation, and NEO Philanthropy. ^{14 15}

1. “Programs.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/programs/
2. “Camp GB.” Gender Benders Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/camp-gb/
3. “Resources.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/resources/
4. “Full Text Search: Gender Benders.” Nonprofit Explorer. Query Conducted January 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=%22gender+benders%22
5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Southern Partners Fund. 2021. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582409301/202223199349301932/full
6. “Camp GB.” Gender Benders Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/camp-gb/
7. Compton, Julie. “#Pride50: Ivy Gibson-Hill — Southern LGBTQ advocate.” NBC News. June 3, 2019.  https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pride50-ivy-gibson-hill-southern-lgbtq-advocate-n1008016
8. “Home.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/
9. “ Resources.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/resources/
10. “Southern Equality Research & Policy Center.” Campaign for Southern Equality. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://southernequality.org/southern-equality-research-policy-center/
11. “Programs.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/programs/
12. “Programs.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://genderbenders.org/programs/
13. “Meet the Team.” Gender Benders. Accessed January 18, 2024.  https://genderbenders.org/meet-the-team/
14. ^[1] “Full Text Search: Gender Benders.” Nonprofit Explorer. Query Conducted January 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?q=%22gender+benders%22
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Southern Partners Fund. 2021. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582409301/202223199349301932/full