Graduate Travis Brown started an online donation page to be donated to LGBT scholarships, F--kRapeCulture and events such as Take Back the Night.
For Travis Brown, it’s not enough to just be an ally to the LGBT community — he wanted to do something to help.
Travis, a 23-year-old graduate from Ohio University, has started the LGBT Ride or Die fundraiser, which will go to various resources for LGBT activism at OU. This includes official university organizations such as the LGBT Center and Take Back the Night, as well as F--kRapeCulture events. His goal is to raise $2,500 through the website YouCaring. As of press time, he has $25, with 312 days remaining, according to the fundraising page.
“I know you can’t solve the world’s crises or any big social issues with a single event or a fundraiser,” Brown said. “I’m hoping that these awareness events like Take Back the Night can get bigger and be more inclusive.”
He also plans to bike more than 3,000 miles spanning from Dayton, Ohio to Portland, Oregon, to be made into a short film to document his experiences and talk to people across the nation about LGBT issues. He plans to make this trip this upcoming August but stopping points along the way are not finalized.
Travis is doing all of this in support of his sister Kelsey, a senior studying communication sciences and disorders. Kelsey calls him her “best friend” and said he was the first person she came out to.
The idea came after the pair were walking through Athens and Travis got a peek into Kelsey’s world. Kelsey said a group of guys harassed her and called her gay slurs, which physically upset Travis.
“That wasn’t the first time or last time and it definitely happens on a regular basis so that was sort of the incentive for my part of this cause,” Travis said.
Part of the money will go to Ohio University’s LGBT Center, which will use the funds to provide scholarships to members of the university’s LGBT community as well as helping the fund awareness events, Brown said. The efforts are much appreciated, said director Delfin Bautista.
“As a person who has done similar things, it really struck me as something really cool,” Bautista said. “Yes there’s a place for the diplomatic solutions to things … but then there is also a place for getting out and getting dirty, and being in the trenches and taking it to the streets.”
Claire Chadwick, co-founder of F--kRapeCulture and a junior studying sociology and women and gender studies, said she appreciates Travis’s offer and hopes people will donate to his cause, but she’s not sure how the money will be used through F--kRapeCulture.
Kelsey said it has been great seeing Travis go through this project and she appreciates the effort her brother is making to support the LGBT community. She encourages people to take the step Travis is making.
“I hope that more people who aren’t affected by it will get involved,” Kelsey said.
@reb_barnes
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