Tegan and Sara are a duo that have used their musical platform to become vocal activists for social justice. Now, they’ve launched the Tegan and Sara Foundation, an LGBTQ charity for women and girls.

The twin sisters began working on the foundation while on tour promoting their most recent album, Love You to Death. According to a letter posted on their website yesterday, the musicians met with activists, researchers, legislators and LGBTQ charities to form the organisation.

“We learned that the lack of federal funding for LGBTQ services, limited training for doctors about the needs of their LGBTQ patients and severe workplace discrimination are disproportionately affecting women,” the letter read, pointing to the inequality felt by women of colour and the trans and lesbian factions. “Most importantly, we learned that LGBTQ women and girls are feeling overwhelmingly rejected and left behind.”

Taking inspiration from the Audre Lorde Project, GLAAD and the LGBT Centre, the Tegan and Sara Foundation will “fight for economic justice, health and representation for LGBTQ girls and women”. Using ideals based on “feminism and racial, social and gender justice”, the foundation will challenge “the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration”.  

Read Tegan and Sara’s letter in full here, and donate to the Tegan and Sara Foundation here.