From left: Steven Grooby, Kristel Penn, Buck Angel

LOS ANGELES – A new charity focused on providing essential services to the transgender community has launched. According to a statement distributed by the organization, Trans Adult Industry Foundation Inc. intends to provide resources to trans people, with a specific focus on the needs of the performers in the adult entertainment industry.

“Giving back is a very important part of my work, so joining with TAIF was a no-brainer,” said educator, adult industry veteran, and founding board member Buck Angel. “We as adult entertainment producers and performers have been shunned by some LGBTQ organizations when we have tried to donate our money. This makes me sad because essentially they are saying, ‘your money is not good enough to save lives.’ So with that came TAIF, and something good came out of a negative. Excited to see the future of TAIF and helping our community.”

Board of directors members Angel, Grooby Entertainment owner Steven Grooby, and Grooby Marketing Director Kristel Penn brainstormed for nearly a year before creating TAIF. All agreed about the importance of providing assistance to groups that support trans performers in the adult industry and believed a nonprofit organization was the most effective way to ensure funds are distributed where needed. Any contributions made through TAIF will be listed on its website with full transparency, the launch announcement stated.

The organization plans to raise money from corporate sponsorship and through other channels and to distribute funds directly to charitable organizations that provide housing, man call centers, operate emergency shelters, and offer advocacy.

“We’ve a longstanding history of promoting and donating to causes that are related to our specific niche, and I’ve nurtured a few ideas on how we can ‘give back’ to our community without being able to bring them to fruition,” said Grooby. “TAIF has taken the best of our previous ideas and is also born out of frustration on wanting to get funds to those most in need, with some charities refusing to accept money from adult companies. Buck, Kristel, and I are looking forward to reaching out to other companies, models, and fans and have some cool fundraising ideas, as well as funneling a portion of Grooby’s profits directly to the foundation.”

More information about the organization is available at TAIF.org.