$340,000 Awarded to Help 153 Trans People Access Life-Saving Hormone Replacement Therapy

Today, Point of Pride awarded $340,000 to 153 people through its 2026 HRT Access Fund, which helps trans people afford life-saving hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

This award marks a new milestone for Point of Pride. To date, the organization has now awarded over $6.3 million to trans people in need since 2016, with nearly $2 million this year alone.

The 153 awardees were selected from a pool of 706 applicants, speaking to a spike in demand for HRT. Each applicant received an average award of $2,500 to cover 18-months of HRT-related care, including telemedical visits, lab visits, medical letters and prescription cost coverage.

This year’s recipients reflect people adversely affected by financial, geographic and systemic barriers to care:

• 50% are between the ages of 18 and 24
• 77% live in states with high levels of anti-trans legislation
• 63% are living with a disability or chronic illness
• 79% have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity either now or in the past
• 59% have experienced healthcare discrimination

The HRT Access Fund and Point of Pride’s other programs are funded largely through community support, ranging from major fundraisers including Mercury Stardust’s Stream-a-Thon for Trans Health to individual donations.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a critical component of many transgender peoples’ transition journeys. This care ensures that trans people can better align their physical characteristics with who they know themselves to be.

Those who receive HRT widely report improvements in their physical and mental health and overall quality of life.

However, in recent years, thousands of trans people across the country have seen their access to HRT and other life-saving gender-affirming healthcare restricted. The UCLA Williams Institute found that 12 states explicitly exclude Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care, affecting upwards of 32,000 transgender adults and youth.

Even if transgender people have insurance coverage or live in states where access to care is protected, many still report issues accessing care, with many people citing difficulties finding inclusive providers or affording care.

This fund is designed to remove these barriers to care, ensuring people are able to not only improve their quality of life but embrace joy.

“Hormone replacement therapy is just one part of the care trans people may need to thrive. While there is no right or wrong way to be trans, HRT can be what helps many people feel more at home in their bodies,” said Jeff Main, Executive Director of Point of Pride. “We will forever strive to make sure that as many trans people as possible can afford the lifesaving care they need.”

“I’ll be able to take my shots and meds without wondering where the next bottle will come from,” said Alejandro, a grant recipient. “I can slowly make my way over to be the man I was always meant to be.”

“I’ll finally be able to just breathe,” said Elizabeth, a grant recipient whose parents stopped financially supporting her healthcare when she came out as trans. “I don’t think there’s a better feeling than belonging.”

“Every day, things get a little bit better,” said Val, a recipient who has struggled with homelessness. “With this grant, things are going to get a lot better when I can focus on improvement versus preservation.”