Safety
No photos. No questions. No one at the door. You can leave any time, by any exit.
A Bloom Swap is set up so you can come in, find clothes that fit who you are, and go, without being recorded, questioned or checked. These are the rules every volunteer and every host agrees to, and what to do if something feels wrong.
The rules
A safe clothing swap for trans and nonbinary guests.
These are not good intentions. Volunteers sign them, hosts agree to them for the two days, and they do not bend for anyone.
- No photographs of guests, ever, by anyone. Not by volunteers, not by the host, not for Bloom’s own use. No picture Bloom publishes of a swap shows a guest.
- No intake that identifies you. No name, no ID, no address, no sign-in. Bloom keeps a ledger of clothes in and out, and it holds nothing about who took them.
- Nobody asks why you are here. Not at the entrance, not at the racks, not on the way out.
- Name tags with pronouns, on volunteers only. You always know how to address the people running the swap. Nobody asks for your name or your pronouns.
- A designated volunteer. At every swap, one volunteer is named as the one to go to if something is wrong. The greeter can point them out.
- Every exit is yours. You can leave at any moment, by any door, with or without a bag, without telling anyone.
The host
How a host venue is chosen.
A host lends the room. Bloom sets the rules for the two days, and the host agrees to them before a date is set.
Before any swap is announced, the host has read the playbook and agreed to its conduct rules: no photographs of guests, no questions of guests, no comments on bodies or choices, nobody turned away, nothing charged. The host’s own people who work the swap follow the same rules as Bloom’s volunteers. A host that will not agree to them does not host.
Bloom runs the room on the day. The building’s own rules still apply, like which doors are open and where the fire exits are, and the greeter can tell you both.
What to do
If something feels wrong at a swap.
You do not need to be sure, and you do not need a reason anyone else would accept.
Find the greeter or the designated volunteer
Say as much or as little as you want. They will deal with it, away from you if you prefer.
Or leave
Leaving is always allowed. You do not owe anyone an explanation, and what you chose goes with you.
Tell Bloom afterwards
If you want Bloom to know, write through the private request form. It asks for the safest way to reach you, and a person replies within one business day.
Crisis and reporting
If you or someone else is in danger.
Clothes can always wait. If anyone is not safe, use these first.
If you are in danger right now
- Call or text 988Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Trans Lifeline877-565-8860
- The Trevor Project1-866-488-7386
- Oregon Child Abuse Hotline855-503-SAFE (7233)
Bloom’s crisis support is free, and a person replies within one business day. Clergy and Bloom staff are mandatory reporters under ORS 419B.010.
Oregon Child Abuse Hotline: 855-503-SAFE (855-503-7233). The number is in the footer of every page on this site. Clergy are mandatory reporters under ORS 419B.010, and Bloom honours that duty.
For any other crisis, Bloom’s crisis support is free, and a person replies within one business day.
FAQ
Safety questions
Still asking? Write to swap@bloomministries.org and a person answers.
Will anyone take my photo?
No. No one photographs guests at a Bloom Swap, and no photograph of a guest exists for Bloom to publish. If you see someone photographing guests, tell the greeter, and it is stopped. Your first swap has more on the day itself.
Does Bloom keep any record that I came?
No. There is no sign-in, no ID check and no intake that identifies you. Bloom keeps a ledger of clothes that go out to a swap, counted by category, and nothing about who took them. Where the clothes go explains the ledger.
Can someone be turned away?
Hosts agree never to turn anyone away. The only reason anyone is asked to leave is breaking the rules on this page, whoever they are. How a swap works describes the day for everyone.
What if I recognise someone?
Nobody at a swap is asked why they came, and nobody should be. Bloom asks every guest for the same courtesy the volunteers have agreed to: let people be. Accessibility at a swap covers the quiet corner, if you need a moment.
When you are ready
The same rules at every swap.
The rules on this page travel with every Bloom Swap, whoever hosts it. The board shows the next one.
In danger right now? Bloom’s crisis support is free, and a person answers