Nordstrom announces hormone therapy grant for trans people as part of Pride month initiative

Retail giant Nordstrom is marking this year's Pride month by pledging to support transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals. The company announced this week that it is teaming up with the digital queer healthcare service FOLX and Trans Lifeline—a grassroots hotline and microgrants non-profit run by and for the trans community—to fund hormone replacement therapy for those struggling to access it. Nordstrom will also donate a percentage of net sales from its new Be Proud gender-inclusive clothing collection to Trans Lifeline. "Between these efforts, Nordstrom hopes to give $350,000 in support of the Transgender community," the company said in a press release.

According to LGBTQ Nation, the microgrants for hormone care will pay 100 percent of costs for a year or 50 percent for two years through FOLX. The retailer has reportedly pledged $100,000 for this with 75 percent reserved for Black and Indigenous people, and people of color. "We've long believed that we're all made better by the diversity that exists both within our communities and our workforce. Our values are centered on the notion of creating a place where every customer and employee is welcome, respected, appreciated, and able to be their authentic selves," Farrell Redwine, senior vice president of human resources, Nordstrom, Inc., said in a statement.

"This year, we are honored to partner with Trans Lifeline to extend those values and support the transgender community in accessing resources that make their lives easier," Redwine added. Speaking of its new Be Proud gender-inclusive clothing line, the company said that the "collection features a range of silhouettes for people of all gender expressions. The lead designer for this collection is queer and we engaged different members from the LGBTQ+ community to provide insight on what they see as missing from the current apparel landscape." Sizes will range from XXS to 4X and the items will be priced between $25 and $59.

"Trans Lifeline is thrilled to be partnering with Nordstrom to invest in the transformational power of peer support and redistribute resources to trans people," said Bri Barnett, Director of Advancement at Trans Lifeline. "This historic gift will be instrumental in helping us answer over 25,000 calls this year and it will also provide 100 people with a year of life-saving medical care." Those interested in the Trans Lifeline x FOLX Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Care Fund, can sign up here to be notified when the process opens. The next set of microgrant applications will reportedly open on June 1 of which twenty-nine applicants will be chosen for funding.

"FOLX was founded as a digitally-native platform designed to reach the community, not hindering access based on location," explained A.G. Breitenstein, CEO and Founder of FOLX Health. "All medication is delivered directly and discreetly to the patient's home, democratizing the health journey. In alignment with its goal to provide increased access, FOLX Health works to ensure that its pricing model is as approachable as possible. All treatments are priced to be as accessible as possible with plans starting at $59 a month, no insurance necessary. This includes unlimited access to clinicians, automatic refills, letters of support for name change, and every other detail that general, cis-gendered heterosexual physicians simply aren't equipped to handle."

The company offers digital video visits, easy messaging with trans-centering clinicians, medication and supplies, lab monitoring for safety, and medication for erectile dysfunction. It also plans to soon offer PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which according to CDC, "is medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV."