BY: Wanda Duncan
Published 6 months ago
Access to various forms of wellness is essential to having a strong personal foundation. Spaces where we’re fully seen, supported, and affirmed help to do that, particularly the more marginalized we are. LGBTQIA+, Black-owned wellness centers are giving life to the most vulnerable of us. Through advocacy, education, and empowerment, these vital organizations address health disparities and promote self-care.
1. Cuties — Los Angeles, California
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, head over to Cuties, a community space that offers in-person and virtual events for queer and transgender people. Desiring an alcohol-free gathering, Cuties started as a coffee shop. The physical location closed during COVID-19 in 2020, and the owner transferred ownership to now-CEO Sasha Jones. According to their site, they thrive to “provide resources, joy, and healing to queer, trans, and gender non-conforming folks, with special focus and offerings exclusively for our QTBIPOC family.”
2. G.L.I.T.S. — New York, New York
Founder and executive director Ceyenne Doroshow created Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society in 2015. Their mission statement reads, “The first issue we address is that of immediate need/crisis support for transgender sex workers and TLGBQIA and BIPOC community members from the NYC area, across the US, and globally.” Right behind housing, G.L.I.T.S. also prioritizes healthcare.
3. Sis Got Tea — Louisville, Kentucky
Founded by Arielle Clark in 2019, Sis Got Tea is dedicated to being “as accessible, accepting, accountable, and sober as possible,” according to their site. “She wants Sis Got Tea to be a place to laugh, relax, kiki, get resources, and sip some delicious tea.”
The café hosts events such as the Stich N’ Bitch Craft Circle, gentle parenting classes, name change clinics, and an Ace/Aro/Demi Spectrum Meetup. They also offer supplies like COVID tests, Narcan, Plan B, fentanyl-testing strips, and menstrual products.
4. B.E.A.M. — Nationwide
Yolo Akili Robinson founded the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective in 2016. B.E.A.M. strives to be a “national training, movement building, and grant-making institution that is dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black and marginalized communities.” B.E.A.M also helps people build up their wellness storehouse with educational tools, journal prompts, and reflection questions.
5. National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) — Virtual
Erica Woodland is a Black queer, transmasculine/genderqueer therapist. He launched NQTTCN in May 2016 to rally therapists around a deeper analysis of healing justice. “We know that many QTBIPOC are systematically denied access to resources for their basic needs, thereby we invest time, intention, and financial resources to tend to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our members, staff, and advisory board,” according to the site.
There are more than just these five LGBTQIA+, Black-owned wellness centers. Connection is just a search away. Look for Black and queer-friendly or centered places in your local area, or access virtual communities that can give you the kind of support you’re looking for.
