How it all began…

Our founders, Dani (she/they/he) and Leanna (she/they), started working together at Dani’s geek chic dress company, Little Petal. From the beginning, it was about more than cute dresses. Clothing is inherently political and what we wear shapes how others see us in every way from our gender to our culture to our relative wealth. The goal was to create something for every body and that mindset of radical inclusion has shaped every decision they make. Because the construction of the dresses has traditionally been done solely by Dani, it has always been made clear that if you are not in support of Black Lives Matter and trans people, she will not make you a dress- ever. It is on the website, pinned to the facebook since 2016, a barrier to entry in the customer chat group, and has been vocalized many times since the formation of the company in 2011.

Over the years customers became friends and started forming friendships among themselves. Little Petal became a family, an alliance, a guaranteed friendly face when you spot a dress across the con floor. Bonds were forged over honesty about mental illness, struggles with body image and fatphobia, and the need for representation which naturally led to them collectively raising thousands of dollars for charities such as Planned Parenthood, To Write Love On Her Arms, Dilley Pro Bono Project, RAINN, the Jim Collins Foundation, the Innocence Project, and the Association of Women in Science. At every convention, Little Petal represents I’ll Go With You, a trans ally response to #wejustneedtopee run by queer organizers, and includes their button and information sheet with every order.

In 2019 , Little Petal began offering half off a first dress for trans women to help build their wardrobe. Immediately they were overwhelmed with offers from amazing folks who wanted to donate the balance for those who couldn’t afford it. In 2020, Little Petal began donating custom dresses to exonerated women. It felt like all of this positive energy and action needed to be channeled into something important.

The Little Petal Alliance

Little Petal and members of their online community decided to expand their efforts towards helping marginalized women and lgbtqpiaa+ people with a particular emphasis on trans people of color who are disproportionately at risk of sexual violence, murder, joblessness, and homelessness, and exonerated women who are often not provided social services upon their release but have had years- decades stolen from their lives and have faced extreme trauma.

Eventually, our scope was narrowed down to the prioritization of Black and Indigenous trans individuals. The Little Petal Alliance was created to help provide a comprehensive mental wellness package. Like a friend who holds your hand and helps you navigate the rough parts of your journey, the aim was to reduce the emotional and mental labor for major life changes. The goal was to provide applicants of our program with a holistic and customizable package of guidance and services. Based on the applicants needs, this assistance could range from help with name changes, clothing, beauty products and tutorials, electrolysis or razors, voice training, mental health sessions, and job resources. The individualized care packages proved to be unsustainable so we shifted our model to programs that could be separately signed up for.

Since our incarnation, LPA has been deeply involved in mutual aid work and how Austin, TX did not prioritize trans or Black individuals experiencing homelessness despite claiming to. Our focus was divided between housing efforts and care packages until we made the decision to form a sibling organization, Queertopia, so that Little Petal Alliance could refocus on gender euphoria nationally and QT could focus on housing in Austin.

In November of 2021, shortly after the formation of QT, Spencer (he/they) entered Little Petal Alliance as the Social Media Manager after doing multiple resource drops with the group during the protest surrounding City Hall. Within three months, he took over the position of Communications Coordinator- holding the only two paid positions at either organization. Spencer is a Black, trans, formerly unhoused, former swer who was able to transition out of sw due to his work at LPA. He has a lifetime of knowledge of anti-racism work and uses this to educate LPA’s social media followers on the importance of colorism, appropriating Black English, and prioritizing trans people of color. Dani was so excited to make the decision to hand leadership over to Spencer, who they believe will take Little Petal Alliance further than they ever could.

*Important note: NO money from Little Petal Alliance goes to Little Petal, Danielle Reichman’s company, and Danielle has never held a paid position. Funding and spending transparency is posted on Instragram. A core belief of LPA and Queertopia is creating employment for multiple marginalized people, who have experience with houselessness, sw, incarceration, and/ or addiction.