‘Protect the Dolls’ shirt has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars 

The now-iconic ‘Protect the Dolls’ shirt has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for a life-saving trans charity.

Earlier this year, designer Connor Ives closed out his AW25 show at London Fashion Week wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase. Commonly used by the LGBTQIA+ community and allies in support of trans women, “dolls” is a term rooted in ballroom culture.⁠

⁠On 26 February, he began selling the garment on his official website to raise money for Trans Lifeline. In the months since, it has been spotted on stars including Addison Rae, Haider Ackermann, Lisa Rinna, Madonna, Pedro Pascal and Troye Sivan.⁠

⁠On 26 September, Ives shared an update on Instagram, revealing that more than $600,000 had been “raised and donated” to the grassroots charity, which provides “direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis”.⁠

“This money will be used by Trans Lifeline to fund their life-saving services, as well as mobilizing funds through microgrants to trans people all over the United States for the first time since 2023,” the Instagram post reads.⁠

“This is only the beginning. Protect the dolls forever.”⁠

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