For most of this year, Sophie Rain served as a campaign prop. Now, she uses the campaign to make money.
Almost immediately after James Fishback lost the Republican governor primary in Florida with 10 percent of the votes and was decisively beaten by Rep. Byron Donalds, endorsed by Trump in his race to become Florida’s governor, the Miami native who was the main protagonist in his campaign about collecting the so-called 50% “Sin Tax” on adult content earners has started funding teachers from her own money. Fishback proposed the tax as a deterrent, claiming the state would benefit if all young women wanted to become teachers, doctors, or small business owners, and that all money collected would pay teacher salaries, school lunches, and mental health programs. Rain called the policy unfair and punitive while debating Fishback on Piers Morgan’s TV show, noting that Florida does not even have a state income tax.
About 48 hours after his defeat, Rain announced she would donate up to $1 million toward teachers’ classroom wishes and published an appeal on her Twitter account. “If you’re a teacher in need, please reach out to me, and I will clear your classroom wishlists,” she wrote. “I’m here to make a real change instead of false promises.” Her post has been viewed more than three million times and got numerous direct messages.
In her interview with Where Is The Buzz, Rain answered several questions about whether the donation is indeed unlimited, how she checks that those sending her DMs are teachers, is “sin money” is becoming merchandise, whether this is a philanthropy or a victory lap, and what happens to teachers whose names will become associated with her.
Does she set a spending cap or per-list limit, or an end date for her donations? How much has she spent so far? According to Rain, the situation turned out to be bigger than expected, and she doesn’t plan to back out of her promise.
“When I said teachers should send me their lists, I meant it. I also didn’t expect the response to be as big as it has been, so obviously there has to be a responsible way to organize it. I don’t want to announce some random cap today and then change it tomorrow. We’re going through the requests, verifying them and clearing as many legitimate classroom lists as we can. So far we’ve cleared 300 lists totaling to about $100k, and I’m going to keep updating that number as we go. This isn’t something where I want to post one screenshot and disappear.”
The figures stated above 300 lists and $100k are the only exact amounts of donations that Rain has ever mentioned, putting her at about a tenth of the $1 million cap that she told TMZ.
It’s clear that anyone can claim to be a teacher, and it’s easy to create an Amazon wishlist. When asked about the verification process and how Rain deals with those trying to abuse the system, she explained that it is a standard procedure to verify the person and the place of teaching.
“We’re verifying people before spending money. I think that’s just common sense. We can ask for a school email, their school information or something else that confirms they actually teach there. I want to help teachers, not somebody pretending to be a teacher because they think they can get a free Amazon order. If somebody tries to game it, their list isn’t getting cleared. I’d rather take a little longer and make sure the money is going to the right people.”
Rain has even used the same word that Fishback used to describe his platform. In her own video, she called the funds “sin money,” turning a word meant to stigmatize her income into a joke and potentially a product line. When asked if Sin Tax or Sin Money clothes are planned, and where the funds raised will go, she left this question open.
“I think it’s funny to take something somebody tried to use to shame me with and turn it into something positive. I’ve definitely thought about doing something with ‘sin money’ because people seem to love it. If I turn it into merch connected to this campaign, I’d want the proceeds to go back toward teachers. It would be pretty hilarious if an attack on how I make my money ended up buying classroom supplies.”
The timing raises doubts. Both posts were published about two days after Fishback’s defeat, and one is framed around politicians and their lies. Asked whether this is charity or a victory lap with a receipt, and whether she will still clear lists in November when the media cycle will change, Rain did not pretend anything.
“It can be a little bit of both. I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t happy he lost. He made me part of his campaign, so of course I had something to say when voters sent him home. But the teachers getting supplies are real. The money being spent is real. If somebody wants to call it a victory lap while teachers get books, pencils, and classroom supplies out of it, I’m completely fine with that. And yes, I want this to continue after people stop talking about James Fishback. Otherwise the people saying it was just for attention would have a point.”
But the most challenging issue isn’t the money; it’s exposure. Teachers across the country have faced disciplinary action or even dismissal for a closer connection to adult content than a thank-you post to a top-earning creator. A tagged tweet is forever, easily indexable, and easy for parents or administrators to search. Asked whether teachers asked for anonymity, whether some districts reached her, or whether someone backed out of the project, Rain said it is up to the teacher.
business just because I bought something for their classroom. They don’t owe me a post, a tag or a thank you. If somebody wants to remain completely anonymous, that’s fine with me. I’m trying to help educators, not create a problem for them at work. If a teacher tells us they don’t want their name, school or district made public, we’re going to respect that. Nobody should have to choose between getting help for their students and worrying about what somebody might find when they Google them later.”
