At first glance, they could be letters to Santa Claus from any excited young child, hoping they have been good enough to earn a special gift. Meek is looking forward to hearing sleigh bells: “I think I have tried my best this year. I try to be positive,” they wrote. Alex, meanwhile, would love a bicycle and gift cards to bring some cheer to the end of an “extremely hard year”.
Look a little deeper, and all is not as it seems. The letters are genuine, but their authors are young people who are transgender or non-binary, writing not to the North Pole but to an alternative seasonal benefactor named Transanta, whose workshop exists in cyberspace.
Transanta is, unlike their world-famous namesake, more of an idea than an individual. A project from the anti-discrimination creative arts organization Allies in Arts, the website transanta.com pairs LGBTQ+ youth in need of help with anonymous donors willing to give it, by way of an Amazon gift registry.
Many of the requests are from young people experiencing hardship or trauma, some having been rejected by their families or communities. According to Transanta, they are seeking “basic needs such as gift cards for food, school supplies, gender affirming clothes, and mobility aids, as well as items just for the joy of the season like art supplies, cool accessories and toys for furry best friends”.
This is the fourth year that Allies in Arts has run the program, which it describes as a mutual aid social media campaign open to those up to the age of 24, and which by the end of last month had received almost 2,000 letters.
Transanta posts the correspondence, often accompanied by colorful artwork, on its website. They sit alongside a hyperlink to that person’s gift registry, allowing anybody to purchase items that will be delivered directly to the recipient in confidence.
“Through anonymous and safe gift-giving, trans and queer youth who are houseless, in foster care, or otherwise without vital support receive the gifts they want and the affirmation they need from people all over the world,” the group says.
“Anyone can be a Santa. Transness is so beautiful and we are celebrating our magic. By investing in trans care, you are investing in trans survival.”
Many of the letters paint a picture of the challenges faced by trans youth, blended with messages of optimism and determination. For example Alex, 24, from California, is a single parent who gave birth to a baby boy two months ago, and experienced gender dysphoria during their pregnancy.
“I’m juggling recovery and going back to work so that I can get a place for me and my baby,” they wrote in a letter requesting baby essentials and gift cards.
“I’ve added items that would make my recovery easier, as well as a bicycle to make transportation back to work a lot easier. I’m excited to start the new year as a queer parent.”
Meek, 20, from North Carolina, says they are “just trying to make it through the system”. Seeking toiletries, laundry supplies and litter for a pet cat, they wrote: “I try to be positive, but it just seems like as a Black trans youth, I fall short. But thank you Santa, I hope to hear sleigh bells!”
One of the youngest correspondents is Vincent, eight, from California, who drew Christmas trees on his letter asking for gift cards.
“Dear Transanta, my Dad is a proud trans Dad. I love him. We need a lot of help and are homeless. Anything helps!” he wrote.
After a year in which an avalanche of anti- trans and LGBTQ+ legislation passed in numerous Republican-controlled states, and killings and suicides of people who are transgender increased parallel to a ramping up of hateful rhetoric nationwide, Allies in Art said help for trans youth was needed more than ever.
“We want to show trans young people that they are loved, supported, and have a family of people around the world who care about them and want them to succeed,” the group said on its website.
