We created Dorothy's Calculator after realizing that no one was going to help the young trans community
or provide resources for them. Rather than stay stagnent and wait, we decided to take action.
Before creating Dorothy's Calculator, we ensured that we were educated in queer theory and literature
from the likes of Jack Halberstam, professor of queer studies at Columbia University, and Michael Bronski,
professor of queer and activist studies at Harvard University.
Upon reading about queer theory and history, we discovered that in the early 1970's mid 1980's, people who were
a part of the LGBTQ+ community were outcasted and due to this were forced to conceal their identity.
In an effort to conform to strict guidelines, queer people would refer to themselves as "friends of Dorothy" in reference to Judy Garland's character
Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz.
We designed Dorothy's Calculator to reflect the strong and fearless leaders from them past that have lead us where we are
today. We ensured that the entire website was as non-conspicuous as possible to ensure that everyone has access to the resources
without risking anyone to be outed.
