New San Francisco Program Gives $1,200 A Month To Trans Residents

Transgender residents in San Francisco will be given taxpayer money for nothing other than simply claiming to be transgender.

Announced on Wednesday by Mayor London Breed, the Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) program will give transgender residents $1,200 a month for up to a year and a half.

The program is being led by leaders of The Transgender District. This neighborhood has around 55 transgender residents. The program is being described as an effort to create equity in the city for trans people.

According to the GIFT website, “Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (G.I.F.T.) will provide economically marginalized transgender people with unrestricted, monthly guaranteed income as a way to combat poverty our most impacted community members face.”

The site goes on to describe further details of who will be receiving taxpayer funds by saying, “The program will prioritize enrollment of Transgender, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex (TGI) people who are also Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), experiencing homelessness, living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, youth and elders, monolingual Spanish-speakers, and those who are legally vulnerable such as TGI people who are undocumented, engaging in survival sex trades, ​or are formerly incarcerated.”

To apply, residents must earn less than $600 a month, and identify as “transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or intersex. Additionally, applicants must agree to complete surveys every three months. Applicants must answer a list of questions related to their gender identity, race, sexual orientation and preferred pronouns.