NYC LGBTQ Organizations Respond to COVID-19
As you may know, last week, DISCLOSURE was supposed to premiere at the venerable Tribeca Film Festival. And, because we are all safely quarantined at home, the on-site festival was cancelled.
So, in honor of Tribeca, our Executive Producer, Laverne Cox, hosted a virtual live DISCLOSURE CHAT on Monday, with Wendy Kaplan from Trinity Place Shelter and Sean E. Coleman from Destination Tomorrow to discuss their organizations’ life-affirming work during this crisis. If you missed the chat, please find it on Laverne’s Instagram feed @lavernecox. Our next live DISCLOSURE CHAT will be in honor of our Canadian premiere at Hot Docs. RSVP here: disclosurethefilm.org/RSVP for details.
The DISCLOSURE team would like to give a special thanks to the following NYC nonprofits who are working tirelessly to support the TGNCI (Trans, Gender-Non-Comfoming, Intersex) community during this time. The work you do is extraordinary and necessary!
INSTAGRAM LIVE GUESTS
Destination Tomorrow is a grassroots agency located in the South Bronx that provides services to and for the LGBTQ community. Economic empowerment is the underlying goal of all that Destination Tomorrow does. It is their belief that no one should have to leave their neighborhood to access LGBTQ specific services.
Ways to Support Destination Tomorrow
Trinity Place is a transitional shelter for LGBTQ youth. Trinity Place has remained open and is continuing to provide independent living supportive services, education, career counseling, access to comprehensive health services, individual and group counseling, and art classes in a family-like environment.
Ways to Support Trinity Place
LGBT YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS
Ali Forney Center provides shelter, food, counseling, medical care, job training, and educational resources for LGBT homeless youth.
“We cannot close and ask our clients to call from home. We are their home. For LGBTQ youth experiencing the terrors of homelessness, we are their first responders. And now they need us more than ever.”
Ways to Support Ali Forney Center
Hetric-Martin Institute is ensuring the continuity of services and care for its young people by providing virtual programs, counseling and homeless outreach services. They have provided youth with technology to access remote programs and services, and they continue to serve as a resource guide for access to food, shelter, medical services and more. Learn more at www.hmi.org.
The Center offers the LGBTQ communities of NYC advocacy, health and wellness programs; arts, entertainment and cultural events; recovery, parenthood and family support services and is operating many of its services and programs remotely, including one-on-one assistance for navigating the special open enrollment period for healthcare. Learn about The Center’s work during COVID-19.
LGBT ELDER ORGANIZATIONS
SAGE is working both locally and nationally with their affiliate network to maintain a sense of community for LGBT elders. In addition to calling their participants to check in on them, SAGE has launched SAGEConnect to combat isolation. LGBT elders can sign up to receive weekly calls from volunteers who are part of the LGBT community and allies. Ways to Support SAGE
HEALTH CLINICS
Callen-Lorde is the global leader in LGBTQ+ healthcare and is widely recognized for their pioneering trans health program. They have been on the front lines of the community-based response to COVID-19 in New York City, providing services both at their clinic and at a temporary homeless shelter for New Yorkers experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Support their COVID relief response efforts at callen-lorde.org/give
Apicha provides medical care for low-income LGBT people. They are continuing to provide services and are accepting new patients.
Ways to Support Apicha
ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
TransLash — Imara Jones and her team at TransLash have done a remarkable job covering the COVID-19 crisis and response in her #LivesAtStake program, a joint production with WNYC, #TranslahTalkbacks and coronavirus-specific virtual town halls. Check out translash.org to find these conversations.
Transgender Law Center – THE COMMUNITY CALLS
Rooted in the wisdom of trans elders and with the knowledge attained through our community driven projects, Transgender Law Center (TLC) has launched a weekly video call series on Thursday afternoons how trans people can support each other and advocate at a local, state, and federal level for the care, resources, and support they deserve through the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch them all here.