Never underestimate the power of fans: This fandom has raised over 50k to help trans youth
Though the HBO pirate romance-comedy Our Flag Means Death only ran for two seasons, its fandom is anything but finished. Rather, they have rallied harder and grown even louder in the space left by the cancelation.
In January of 2024, the showrunner, David Jenkins, announced that there would not be a third season as planned. Rather than take the news lying down, the fandom created renewal campaigns, such as a Times Square billboard, to try to garner interest of other potential streamers such as Hulu or Netflix. Though the renewal efforts ultimately failed, it was through no fault of their own, as Jenkins was quick to assure.
Now, over a year past the cancelation, there does not seem to be an end of the road for the fandom. Since much of Our Flag‘s popularity comes from word of mouth, there are still people discovering the show through general online chatter. Its fanbase is one of the most fervent and active ones I have ever been a part of.
Recently, a craft fair was announced, spearheaded by a few fans. Initially it was a fan-made auction and fair, with the items up for bid and purchase ones created by fans themselves. Raising money for the Campaign for Southern Equality, which helps queer youth in the south, the original 5k goal was hit in eleven minutes. Since then, the goal has been raised a few more times, and the total raised is now officially over $50k after just one week online. And there are also not just fans participating in the auction now.
Jenkins has remained active with the fandom on Bluesky and just yesterday announced that there were a few items he’d personally like to donate for auction. One is a prop Act of Grace from the show doodled on by EP and star Taika Waititi, and the other is a promotional teapot sent out by HBO for the first season. Both items are currently bidding well into the thousands.
Costume designer Gypsy Taylor commented on Jenkins’s Instagram post, saying she had begun digging in her storage unit for items to donate.
Jenkins especially has been outspoken about equality and has continued to use his platform and space within the fandom to raise awareness wherever he can. Having creatives care enough to want to donate to something fan-run for a cause like helping trans youth is so incredibly heartwarming. Times are not easy right now, and Our Flag is a comfort show for many for what it represents and the queer joy it makes sure to highlight. I am constantly amazed by what the fans can do. (Psst, Netflix? Are you listening?)
Please make sure you take a moment to check out the OFMD Craft Fair if you’re a fan, or even if you’re not a fan.
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