The Trans Safe Action Fund is a Kentucky advocacy group that advocates in the state in support of transgender interests. ^{1 2}

It ran a TV ad campaign that sought to convince voters that right-of-center legislation on transgender issues was an offense to basic human decency. ³

Activities

The Trans Safe Action Fund spent at least $75,000 on TV ads aired on right-of-center cable news channels such as Fox News and Newsmax. The ads were aimed at centrist Republican voters. It featured photos of trans individuals with a narrator saying, “This is our home—and here’s us at work. This is what freedom feels like, what beauty looks like. This is just us.” ⁴

Bill Hyers created the ads. He leads the Win Company, a left-of-center media strategy company. ^{5 6} Formerly of Hilltop Public Solutions (HPS), Hyers has a multi-year track record of campaigns on behalf of prominent left-of-center politicians such as U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), President Joe Biden, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). ⁷

The Trans Safe Action Fund’s TV ad campaign took place during an uptick in right-of-center state legislation, and proposed legislation, targeting transgender issues. Several states have forbidden sex change interventions for minors, and more have restricted transgender students to school sports teams consistent with their natural sex. ⁸

Kentucky banned medical sex change interventions for minors and limited multi-user bathrooms to individuals of the same sex. The Trans Safe Action Fund alleges that such legislation not only violates civil rights but dehumanizes and demonizes transgender persons. ⁹

Jane Van Meter, the group’s president, acknowledges that Republicans have a supermajority in the Kentucky state legislature such that convincing moderate Republican voters of the need to oppose right-of-center legislation is critical to advancing left-of-center transgender advocacy objectives. ¹⁰

These objectives include creating a right to hormonal treatments, puberty blockers, and surgery altering chest tissue or genitalia for self-declared transgender children and youths; full access to all gender-segregated spaces such as multi-user restrooms and locker rooms; participation in sports teams based on gender self-identification rather than natural sex; and the right to freely change gender information on official documents such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and state ID cards. ¹¹

The Trans Safe Action Fund pays two professional lobbyists, John “Drew” Jenkins and Salsman Russ, to lobby Kentucky state legislators. During the first quarter of 2024, they were paid a total of $10,000. ¹²

The Trans Safe Action Fund processes individual gifts through ActBlue Charities. ¹³

Leadership

Jane Van Meter is the president and director of the John B. Van Meter Charitable Foundation, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. ¹⁴ The Foundation awards $2,500 to $25,000 general operating grants to domestic and international healthcare and social service organizations. It funded one college campus LGBT project. ¹⁵

Director Christopher Koob is a principal at Mele Brengarth Associates, a supplier of compliance, financial, and reporting services to left-of-center political campaigns and advocacy organizations. The firm shares an address with the Trans Safe Action Fund. ¹⁶

1. “Threads.” Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.threads.net/@transsafeaction
2. Trans Safe Action. “HOME.” Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.transsafeaction.com
3.  Yahoo News. “The Pro-Trans Activists Buying Up Ad Space Across Right-Wing Media,” April 3, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-trans-activists-buying-ad-142709169.html
4. Yahoo News. “The Pro-Trans Activists Buying Up Ad Space Across Right-Wing Media,” April 3, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-trans-activists-buying-ad-142709169.html
5. ^[1] The Win Company. “What We Do.” Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.thewincompany.com/whatwedo
6. Perez, Andrew. “The Pro-Trans Activists Buying Up Ad Space Across Right-Wing Media.” Rolling Stone (blog), April 3, 2024. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trans-safe-action-ads-republicans-fox-news-1234998419/
7. Ballotpedia. “Bill Hyers.” Accessed April 22, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Bill_Hyers
8. Saksa, Jim. “Republicans’ Fixation on Trans Issues Could Backfire, Pollsters Say.” Roll Call, March 31, 2023. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://rollcall.com/2023/03/31/republicans-fixation-on-trans-issues-could-backfire-pollsters-say/
9. Yahoo News. “The Pro-Trans Activists Buying Up Ad Space Across Right-Wing Media,” April 3, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-trans-activists-buying-ad-142709169.html
10. Yahoo News. “The Pro-Trans Activists Buying Up Ad Space Across Right-Wing Media,” April 3, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-trans-activists-buying-ad-142709169.html
11. Narea, Nicole. “The GOP’s Coordinated National Campaign against Trans Rights, Explained.” Vox, March 10, 2023. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.vox.com/politics/23631262/trans-bills-republican-state-legislatures
12. “Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission.” LAComp.pdf. Accessed April 21, 2024. https://klec.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
13. Trans Safe Action. “HOME.” Accessed April 21, 2024. https://www.transsafeaction.com
14. “Home Page.” Accessed April 22, 2024. https://web.sos.ky.gov/BusSearchNProfile/Offsearch.aspx
15. Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon. “John B Van Meter Charitable Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica, May 9, 2013. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/611274104/202303059349100605/full
16. Mele, Brengarth & Associates. “SIGNED. SEALED. DELIVERED.” Accessed April 22, 2024. https://mbacg.com/clients/