The Brazen Saddles pedaled 4,000 miles and raised $8,000 for SRLP!

Last month, our bikers finished their cross country journey and wrapped up their fundraising. Here’s their update and a final thank you! Thank you to the Brazen Saddles for your incredible contribution to our collective work!

We were very pleased to finish the trip in Oceanside, CA on June 21–the summer solstice, three-month anniversary of our departure from New York, and 4,000-mile mark of our journey. We also completed the ride on the eve of events all over the country celebrating and honoring queer and trans people.

In the post-trip reflection process, I have thought a lot about how our fundraising project operates in the scheme of the many methods of resistance and solidarity that exist out there, and my main impression was how important it is that  people pursue ALL kinds of resistance and solidarity.

I didn’t participate in any pride events this year; or, I guess I should say that my pride event WAS biking across the country and getting the opportunity to use that as a fundraising project in solidarity with SRLP and trans people whom SRLP supports and helps. This is the kind of pride activity I can get excited about.

A few reflections on the fundraising process in particular: We raised a shade more than $8,000. I am very pleased and excited about every dollar! I have learned a few things, too. I learned that personal requests are much more effective than email requests (particularly for people who are inundated with email every day, like my coworkers); and I learned that just letting people we met along the way know about our project was not enough–we had to ask for donations explicitly.

Thanks for sharing this success with us!

– Erin Hansen and the Brazen Saddles