Oregon public library funding ‘gender affirming closet’ for students

LINCOLN CITY Ore. (KPTV) - A public library in Lincoln City plans to conduct a “donation kickoff” Thursday to fund a local high school’s “gender affirming closet,” which would give “clothes, makeup, and accessories” to transgender students.

For people who can’t make it to Thursday’s donation drive, the Driftwood Public Library in Lincoln City has created an Amazon wishlist with various items to start the new closet.

The wish list includes items like fake eyelashes, makeup, panties, and clothes.

“Many students that are transgender and/or nonbinary are not supported by their parents nor can showcase it with their daily clothing choices,” the Driftwood Public Library wrote on their website. “These students will be able to go into the closet and take anything that they may need to identify however they are comfortable within their clothing. It will also have makeup brochures and different resources that they can reach out to.”

On the library’s website, other events are listed for Thursday’s opening event, including a guest speaker, free face painting, a photo booth with props, an auction, refreshments, a scavenger hunt with prizes, and free pride flags and stickers.

The idea of a gender-affirming closet is not new. Other, similar spaces have been planned at schools in Arkansas and California.