Notable YouTube personality Hbomberguy spent his weekend playing Donkey Kong 64 for nearly 60 hours in an effort to raise money for the trans youth rights group Mermaids. It wasn't just a normal run either. Hbomberguy, real name Harry Brewis, set out to conquer the game with 101% completion, a feat which is not at all a mere walk in the park.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community were not the only ones showing a massive outpouring of support for the stream. Over the course of the marathon, Hbomberguy had a number of notable figures calling in to chat and voice their own support. Some of these famous faces include John Romero (Doom), Mara Wilson (writer, former actor: Matilda from Matilda), Chelsea Manning, Grant Kirkhope (voice of Donkey Kong and musical composer), Jim Sterling, and U.S Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Hbomberguy had initially set out to hit $3,000 but that goal was quickly smashed. He raised over $200,000 within the first 20 hours. After playing over 57 hours and achieving 101%, the total amount raised is right around the $340,000 mark. This money is going to Mermaids, a British organization that helps to raise awareness of trans rights among young people.
Formed in 1995 by a group of parents brought together by their children’s longstanding gender incongruence, Mermaids has evolved and grown to meet demand and offer appropriate resources to young people, their families and carers, and professionals working with gender variant young people. Formed primarily as a support group, our focus has widened dramatically over the last few years.
Mermaids supports children and young people up to 20 years old who are transgender and/or gender diverse, and their families, and professionals involved in their care.
It is difficult to know how many people are affected, but a number of surveys taken over the last few years point to between 1 and 3% of the population, with a growing number of people identifying as nonbinary.
Transgender and gender variant children and young people need support and understanding, and freedom to explore their gender identity whatever the outcome. Mermaids is committed to helping them and their families to navigate the challenges that they may face, and to provide a sense of community.
Mermaids supports children and young people up to 20 years old who are transgender and/or gender diverse, and their families, and professionals involved in their care.
It is difficult to know how many people are affected, but a number of surveys taken over the last few years point to between 1 and 3% of the population, with a growing number of people identifying as nonbinary.
Transgender and gender variant children and young people need support and understanding, and freedom to explore their gender identity whatever the outcome. Mermaids is committed to helping them and their families to navigate the challenges that they may face, and to provide a sense of community.
Yes, Graham Linehan is a piece of shit. However, without Lineham's cloud yelling, many people may not have known about Mermaids and the charity stream may not have been such a massive success. As such, be sure to leave a hearty #ThanksGraham the next time you're on Twitter. Knowing that he had a hand in helping support those he actively hates will surely warm his frigid heart.
It's rare to see a real hero these days, but Hbomberguy can certainly be seen as once for all of the work he put in this weekend to raise awareness, raise a massive amount of money, and to give a nice middle finger to trash like Linehan who continue to be on the wrong side of history.
Image and some details via Destructoid.
