Wizards of the Coast has donated its proceeds from a Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair sale to the world’s largest LGTBQ crisis intervention charity.
Not resting on their laurels from annual efforts for Extra Life, Hasbro’s tabletop gaming studio continues utilizing Magic: The Gathering‘s popularity to give back to the community. “Pride Across the Multiverse,” the limited edition Secret Lair set released back in May, helped them raise $1.337 million for The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young LGBTQ people.
From May 4 to the end of June, almost 60, 000 packs were sold and helped them reach the company’s largest charitable donation to date. Available in either standard or foil versions, all eight cards included were illustrated by LGBTQIA2S+ artists, many featuring the game’s Queer characters:
- “Triumphant Reckoning” by Merlin G.G.
- “Savor the Moment” by Kieran Yanner
- “Alesha, Who Smiles at Death” by Winona Nelson
- “Bearscape” by Ricardo Bessa
- “Collective Voyage” by Ricardo Bessa
- “Heartbeat of Spring” by Peo Michie
- “Sol Ring” by Lauren YS
- “Mana Confluence” by Jabari Weathers
Purchases also included access to four themed card sleeves featuring artwork from the set for use in MTG Arena, as well as a digital zine featuring short fiction, artist interviews, and sketches.
“Pride Across the Multiverse was a celebration by Wizards of the Coast of the LGBTQIA2S+ community’s relentless artistic creativity,” the company stated in a press release. “[These cards] were designed to tell a story of love, struggle, resilience, joy, and community.”
Wizards of the Coast will also be participating in The Trevor Project’s Every Single One campaign, an initiative to “provide life-saving affirmation and support to LGBTQ young people.” Such support “can reduce the likelihood of LGBTQ youth attempting suicide by 40%.”
Since 2019, Wizards of the Coast has been producing small runs of themed, alternate-art Magic: The Gathering cards. Since the International Women’s Day set in March 2020, which benefitted the World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts, the program has been utilized a few times each year to do something more than just story highlights or featuring guest artists. Annual Extra Life sets support the Children’s Miracle Network of Hospitals, while the “Black is Magic” drop benefitted Black Girls CODE in February 2021.
Since 1998, The Trevor Project has offered support to LGTBQ youth in times of crisis, beginning with establishing the world’s first nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention hotline in the US—where more than 1.8 million LGBTQ young people seriously consider suicide each year.
