We All Matter Health Advocacy Care This turbulent time we are all living through health navigators like Faith Kamara and Victwan McCorkle, challenges New Yorkers to rise to the occasion serving and supporting our members out in the community; and reinvent ourselves in ways large and the pioneering contributions of NYC-based organizations small. Amida Care has also been undergoing like The Anti-Violence Project and Out My Closet; and the a process of renewal and transformation, as unforgettable legacy of Lorena Borjas, a renowned trans-Latina reflected in our latest community magazine: activist whom we recently lost to Covid-19. Lorena is fondly Health, Advocacy, Care. remembered here in tributes from several community members whose lives she touched. Its title debuts our organization’s new tagline – one that we believe better sums up our mission and more clearly Health, advocacy, and care are also found in the work of those communicates who we are. What most sets Amida Care apart is who promote healthy self-care, self-expression, and body advocacy to help members and communities gain access to the positivity, like artist/advocate Tarik Carroll of the EveryMAN care they need, so they can protect and improve their health Project and others profiled or quoted in these pages. Each does and live their best, most authentic lives. their part to build a safer, more inclusive LGBTQ community. The coronavirus pandemic is shining a light on the glaring Now more than ever, Amida Care and our community partners health inequities among New Yorkers of color. Amida Care has are answering the call to lean in and advocate for the health and been a longstanding advocate to end the health disparities that care of our members and communities. Let’s all stand strong take a disproportionately heavy toll on the communities we together to ensure that we all stay safe, healthy, and protected. serve, and there is an urgent need to do even more to ensure equitable access to care for all New Yorkers. Stay well, stay safe, As portrayed in this publication, health, advocacy, and care Doug Wirth, President & CEO, Amida Care take many forms. They are illustrated in the work of Amida Care 2 Content TARIK 4 Remembering Leadership CARROLL 10 Through Service Artist/Advocate Meet FAITH for Male Body orena KAMARA Positivity L 18 Borjas 14 20 Amida Care’s 6 Member Advisory Council Advocates For and Shapes Sexual Health Care Racism on Dating Apps O ut MY CLOSET DRESSING AND ADVOCATING FOR LGBTQ YOUTH WORK: The Link 16 Between Health 8 and Happiness 22 You Are Beauty ONLINE Affirm your confidence KEEPING IT DatingFUN AND SAFE VISIT US ONLINE: www.AmidaCareNY. org 3 TARIK CARROLL Artist/Advocate for Male Body Positivity rooklyn visual artist and fashion photographer TARIK CARROLL is breaking new ground as a pioneering activist for body image issues among those who identify as male. His EveryMAN BProject, (www.theeverymanproject.com), founded in 2017, adapts the women’s body positivity movement in order to promote men’s self-acceptance, especially “queer and transgender men of color with bigger body frames.” “ As men, we have been taught not to speak about our issues when it comes to how we feel about our bodies.” 4 Tarik was trained in graphic design at New York Institute of Technology. His early experiences as the “tallest, chubbiest kid in the class” and years spentI knew working that behind once the camera I put atthis fashion out, shoots gradually revealed that evenI would some of thehave best-looking to deal male with models my heard the same toxic, perfectionistic,own inner body voice issues as he did. as It whispered: well, so “You’re there not thin enough, thick enough, wastoo pale, a lottoo black,of apprehension or simply not beautiful about enough.” Through the EveryMAN Project, Tarikbeing has been at working the forefrontto advance the of movement, this producing photographic series, collectingmovement… men’s personal As essays, a photographer, and developing a documentary and coffee table book. The ultimate goal? To bring about a consciousness shift, so that “everyone will feel a little moreI’m confident used in to their being own skin behind and be their the genuine self.” Tarik’s efforts to reform concepts of malecamera, beauty have and gotten now media I’m attention aout front.”in BuzzFeed, PAPER, the Huffington Post France, the New York Times, People magazine, and elsewhere. 5 Out High-quality, gender-affirming clothing is a human right. OMC 6 MY CLOSET DRESSING AND ADVOCATING FOR LGBTQ YOUTH UT MY CLOSET (OMC), a New York City nonprofit founded by designer/activist Michael A. Narain, empowers displaced, under- Oresourced LGBTQ youth by gifting them with free clothing items and supportive counseling. OMC’s spirit of inclusiveness is intended to nurture a sense of hope, resilience, and self-acceptance. Last year alone, OMC conducted 15 fun, celebratory pop-up “shopping” events across NYC that benefitted hundreds of LGBTQ young people. Michael notes that clients may choose as many items as they want — and OMC’s “Open Heart-Open Door” policy also welcomes those who don’t identify as LGBTQ. From Prom Pop-Ups for high school students dealing with homophobia to a Trans Day of Resilience Pop-Up for trans women of color earlier this year, OMC has gifted nearly 25,000 donated garments since its launch in 2013. “High-quality, gender-affirming clothing is a human right,” like food and shelter, Michael says. OMC also considers its clothing a “harm- reduction strategy” that can help prevent new HIV diagnoses. When LGBTQ adolescents in crisis choose their own fierce, beautiful OMC outfits as gifts, it can help them avoid high-risk activities like sex work in exchange for money, clothing, and other necessities. “Clothes can set up youth for success by preparing them for interviews, work, or school,” Michael says. Staffed by volunteers who www.outmycloset.org are young professionals, OMC also connects clients with partner agencies to help them obtain housing, food, HIV testing, and access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), and other services. 7 You Are Beauty Take time for yourself daily and trust in yourself, knowing there is no one like you. by Sandrine Blake Manager of Member Experience 8 and Events, Amida Care eauty is defined as a combination of qualities—such as shape, color, or form— Bthat pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight, as well as the intellect or moral sense. I simply say that beauty is me, him, her, they…. It’s you! Daily, we are flooded with images of what beauty looks like and what self-image should be. Beauty is you and what you make of yourself. Take a look in the mirror and notice your skin tone, your facial structure, your curves, your smile. Really look at yourself, then stare deep into your own eyes and search your heart for the beauty within you. Live life as who you are right now, knowing that you are growing and rising like a phoenix. Learn how to love and accept yourself, flaws and all (a flaw to you may be perfection to someone else). Take time for yourself daily and trust in yourself, knowing there is no one like you. Forget what the world says and trust what you say, how you feel, and what you know. Affirm your confidence. Be bold in your fierceness. Remember that you are wonderfully made. Say: I am loved. I am a masterpiece. “ I am beautiful, empowered, and courageous. I am enough. I am worthy. I am resilient and capable, a conqueror, free,“ and at peace. I am everything the universe has created me to be. I AM Beauty! 9 “Let no one take away our desire to fight. Let’s fight until the last moment of our life.” Remembering Compassion in Action (1960-2020) 10 Lorena Borjas We mourn the passing of Latinx immigrants. For decades, beloved trans-Latina and Lorena worked as an educator in HIV testing, syringe exchange, immigrant rights activist and other programs with LGBTQ Lorena Borjas, honored by state and local leaders and known in organizations, including Translatina Queens and throughout NYC as Network, Latino Commission on the mother of her community. AIDS, and Community Healthcare On March 30, Lorena died of Network. In 2011, she launched complications from COVID-19. the Lorena Borjas Legal Fund to provide bail and advocate for In 1981 at age 20, Lorena moved LGBTQ and other immigrants. from her native Mexico City to Most recently, Lorena served as Queens, where she shared an Executive Director of Colectivo apartment with 20 fellow trans- Intercultural TRANSgrediendo. Our Community Leaders Pay Homage to Lorena “ Lorena Borjas was a tireless transgender activist who took advantage of her own experiences as a transgender woman, immigrant, and sex worker to help others. She had a great dream, to build a home where transgender women found refuge and support. Casa Trans Lorena Borjas was her life project. Unfortunately, she could not see her dream materialize. We will continue her legacy to make Casa Trans Lorena Borjas a reality, and provide all the necessary support that the community needs.” Liaam Winslet, Acting Executive Director Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo “ Lorena worked as a tireless, longtime advocate for immigrants, sex workers, and people of transgender experience. She was a great friend to Amida Care and a beautiful and bright light in our world. She was compassion in action, and her powerful life-filled impacts will live on. May she rest in power.” Doug Wirth, President and CEO, Amida Care 11 Our Community Leaders Pay Homage to Lorena “ Lorena was a pillar in our community.