Good Vibrations is pleased to announce its current round of GiVe partners: In the SF Bay Area, the St James Infirmary and The Billy DeFrank Center; in the Boston area, Whose Corner is it Anyway; and the nationally-relevant Transgender Law Center.
Good Vibrations launched its GiVe program in 2010 as a way to give back to the communities from which its stores emerged. Through the program, Good Vibrations invites customers to donate to their partners at checkout. 100% of the amount collected goes directly to those partners, helping to build sustainable, long-term community and impact. In the last quarter of 2018, Good Vibrations collected more than $12,000 in donations to distribute among five local and national organizations.
In our changing cultural, social, and political climates, Good Vibrations is more compelled than ever to support a variety of organizations through in-kind and/or monetary donations. Through the GiVe program, Good Vibrations hopes to continue to highlight sex and body positivity, diversity, positive communication, and harm reduction. Everyone deserves the opportunity for information, products, resource, education, and support in exploring their bodies, desires, and sexualities to the fullest degree.
Says GiVe Coordinator Ruby Vail, “I’m proud of the ways that our donation program matches our educational philosophy: we meet people where they are at! Whether it’s someone looking for a first butt plug without breaking the bank or wanting to support one of their favorite non-profits on a budget, we make sure our customers can do just that. Our average donation amount last quarter was under $4 which means, even when folks were making smaller donations, the entirety of donations from all our customers were able to make a substantial impact at the organizations we supported.”
The St James Infirmary, located in San Francisco, is a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers and their families. You can support St James Infirmary at our Polk, Mission, Valencia, Kearney, Oakland, and Berkeley stores.
The Billy DeFrank Center, located in the South Bay, inspires purposeful action and ensures a safe place to gather, discuss relevant issues, and collaborate within the LGBTQ+ community. You can support the Billy DeFrank Center at our Palo Alto Store.
Whose Corner Is It Anyway is a sex worker-led harm reduction organization in Massachusetts. You can support Whose Corner Is It Anyway at our Brookline and Cambridge stores.
The Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-drive strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation. You can support TLC through our website.
Good Vibrations Staff Sexologist Carol Queen adds, “We occupy a unique and fortunate position in our communities: We can help showcase and amplify the work of truly tireless and culturally significant activists and give our customers the opportunity to learn about and support them. In the wake of SESTA/FOSTA and those laws’ impact on the sex work community, it’s especially satisfying to be able to support GiVe partners on both coasts whose missions make sex workers safer.”
