In Appalachia, a new victory in the effort to combat the high rates of homelessness among LGBTQI+ people in the United States may have been won late Saturday, July 24. With the help of crowdfunding via social media, there could soon be the creation of a community specifically for gender and orientation minorities while simultaneously prioritizing racial justice and reparations for stolen land from indigenous people.

22 days before the Indiegogo deadline, a campaign to raise money to purchase 65 acres of land in West Virginia through the West Virginia Regional Land Trust reached its goal.

"In the legacy of queer homesteads and land projects we would create a intentionally community, bringing together chronically unhoused transgender people, while prioritizing residency for trans people of color and indigenous folks, especially Shawnee, Cherokee, and Yuchi folks whose traditional territory this land occupies," reads the campaign's description.

"This isn’t just some gay oogle doogle camp, but something beautiful. To trans people, it would be a place away from the staring eyes and constant attack. To homeless kids, a home that can’t be taken away. A space that’s built to challenge white supremacy and a promise of Indigenous solidarity. Let’s work together to build something beautiful, a place to support each other though the shit of it, something that would give more trans people a fighting chance to survive in this world."

The plan for the campaign is to not only provide space for residents, but to create a community space to run dialogue and programs to discuss and challenge social issues.

"Our own oasis from the cis-hetero world, a place started to actively fight anti-blackness, and colonization culture, a place of dialog and learning, a place connected with the earth, a place of healing."

If they aren't selected, the plan is to invest all of the proceeds in another effort with the same goal. With support and any luck, this community may become a reality soon.