KAREN: TODAY ON "CITYLINE," BOSTON'S TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY,
VOICES OF CHANGE AND THE ♪
KAREN: GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M KAREN HOLMES WARD.
WELCOMTOE "CITYLINE." WE'RE EXPLORING ISSUES FACING
THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY ONEF OITS MOST
MARGINALIZED GROUPS, THE TRANSGENDER OR GENDER
NON-CONFORMING COMMUNI.TY WE PROFILED A LOCAL TRANSGENDER
RIGHTS ADVOCATE WHO HAS SINGLE HANDEDLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE
OF TRANSGENDER RIGHTANS RESOURCES HERE IN THE
COMMONWEALTH.
WEDV AISE YOU THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT AND SUBJECT MATTER IN
THIS PIECE MAY BE SENSITIVE AN -- SENSITIVE.
>> BLACK TRANS LIVES MATR.
KAREN: MEET CHASTITYTH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FUND
THECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FUND AT OFFERS CRUCIAL SERVICES TO
TRANS PEOPLE ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH.
BUT SHE WAS NOT ALWAYSHE CONFIDENT LEADER THAT YOU SEE
BEFORE YOU.
HER JOURNEY WAS REMARKABLE AND LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HA A
STORY OF TRIUMPH, SHE BEGAN A RURAL TOWN TOO SMALL TO CONTAIN
ONE INDIVIDUAL.
CHASTITYTH: EY SAID THEY WAS CALLING THEM A HE/SHE IN A
MAGAZINE, MY FRIEND AT SCHOOL, AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I
HEARD TRANSSEXUAL OR TRANSGENDER OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.
IT PIQUED MY INTEREST.
HAVING A FAMILY MEMBERHO W IDENTIFIED AS LESE -- LESBIAN,
BISEXUAL AT THE TIME, THE WAY THE FAMILY TALKED ABOUT HER, I'M
LIKE OK, I'M DIFFERENT IN A DIFFERENT SORT OF WAY AS WELL.
IS THAT HOW I'M GOING TO BE TREATED?
KAREN: WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO HER COUSIN ABOUT WHO SHE SWA
AS A CHILD.
>> SHE WAS DIFFERE.
A MORE FEMININE CHILD.
NOT A MASCULINE BOY.
KAREN: YOU MOVED FROM ROCHTERES TO BOSTON WITH CHASITY WN EHE
WAS 17?
>> I DID.
KAREN: WHY DO YOU THINK E SSH READY TO LEAVE HER HOMETOWN AT
SUCH AN EARLY AGE?
>> CHASTITY WAS ALYSWA COMFORTABLE WITH ME AND KNEW
THAT I WOULD BE VERY ACCEPNGTI OF CHASTY.IT
CHASTITY SAW SOMEONE -- SAW BOSTON AS A PLACE OF SAFETY THWI
ME AND KNEW THAT SHE COULD GWRO INTO WHO SHEAS W
KAREN: BUT THINGS DI'T NECESSARILY GET EASIER FOR
CHASTITY AFTER MAKING THE MOVE TO BOSTON.
AARON: AFTER FINISHING- - CHASTITY: AFTER FINISHG MYIN
SENIOR YEAR HERE, I WAS WORKGIN AT A MCDONALD'S AND PEOPLE WERE
UNCOMFORTABLE WITH MY SELVESO T BE AROUND ME.
EMPLOYEES RUMBLING, CUSTOMER SAYING THAT I DON'T WANT A
HE/SHE TAKING MY ORD.ER I HAD TO TAKE A LOT OF VERBAL OF
-- ABUSE.
KAREN: IT BECAME A BEE--R APPARENT THAT HER INABITTOIL
KEEP A JOB HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HER WORK ETC.HI
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE CHASTITY?
>> AMBITIO.US KAREN: WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK
WITH CHASTITY'S SISTER.
>> AMBITIOUS, A HARD WORKER.
KAREN: DUE TO R HECONSNT DISCRIMINATION, SHE FOUND
HERSELF IN A DESPERATE SITUATION.
CHASTITY: I FOUND MYLF HOMELESS HERE IN BOSTON AND I
STARTED INDULGING IN SURVIVAL SEX WORK.
A FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT TYHE DIDN'T KNOW THE EXACT NAME, A
TRANS PLACE IN WORCESTERMY, AUNT WORKS THERE.
GIVE THEM A CALL.
I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF THAT NIGHT THAT IF I MAKE IT THROUGH
TO THE NEXT DAY, I WILL CALL THE NUMBER.
THE GUY RUNNING IT AT THE TIME TOLD ME TO GO TO STHOU STATION.
GOT ME A TICT TOKE WORCEST.ER AFTER THAT WEEKEND, THE TRANS
EMERGENCY FUND HAD FOUND ME A ROOM AND PAID THE RENT FOR TEEHR
MONTHS, ALLOWING ME TO FIGURE OUT, OK, WHAT DO I WANT OUOFT
THE LIFE I WAS GIVEN?
THE ONE THING I KEPT COMG BAIN TO WAS A RESOURCE FOR MY
COMMUNITY.
KAREN: CHASITY HAD FOUND A PCELA WHERHEE R TIRELESS WORK ETHIC
WAS ACCEPTED AND APPRECIAT.
AFTER THE EXECUTIVE REORDI STEPPED DOWN IN 2018, CHASTITY
TOOK ON THE TOP JOB AT T TRANSGENDER EMERGENCY FUND,
SPEAKING NOW ABOUT SOME OF HER FONDEST MEMORIES.
HELPING HER COMMUNITY.
CHASTITY: A TRANS MAN WITH TWO CHILDREN AND WAS ABOUT TO BE
EVICTED.
HIM NOT KNOWING WHERE THEY WERE GOG INTO GO.
THE SHELTER, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DOES A SHELTER FALYMI SETTING LOOK LIKE WITH A TRANS
MAN AND TWO KI?
WE WERE ABLE TO COME IN AND ASSIST WITH THE BACKEN RTOT
MAKE SURE THEY COULD STAY IN PLACE.
THE GRATITUDE WAS EROVWHELMING.
I WAS CRYING AS WELL.
WE WERE BOTH CRYING OVER THE PHONE TOGETHER.
KAREN: WHETHER SHE KNEW ITR O NOT, SHE WAS BECOMING PART OAF
COMMUNITY BY BECOMING A VALULEAB RESOURCE TO HER PEOPLE.
>> WE ARE FIGHTING FOR SURVIL, FOR OUR LIVES, FOR OUR RIGHTS TO
KEEP HOUSING, TO KEEP OURSELSVE SAFE.
AND IT IS JUST THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FULL CIRCLE MONT TME
COME INTO IN THIS COMMUNITY.
INTO THIS PLACE OF NEEDING HP, NEEDING SUPPORT, BEING ABLE TO
TURN THAT OUARND AND THEN VEGI AND HELP AND CONTINUE THATOR F
OTHER PEOPLE HAS JUST BEEN LI
FE-CHANGING.
KAREN: MEET JANE, E MEON BENEFICIARY OF THE TEFND A
MEMBER MANAGER OF SERVIC.ES THEY ARE PROUD NOW TO OFRFE
COMMUNITY SUPPORT, DROP-IN MEETINGS, AND ORGANIZED RETREATS
FOR MEMBERS.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH A TEF MEMBER WHO DESCRIBED ONEF
THE RETREATS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT TO THE TRANS COMMUNITY.
>> IT WAS LIKE A RETREAT TO NDKI OF BRING TOGETHER A COMMUNITY OF
TRANS WOMEN AND GET US OUTF O THE CITY AND PUT US IN A PLACE
WHERE WE COULD KIND OF BUILD THOSE RELATISHIPONS WITH EACH
OTHER.
KAREN: TEF AS WELL AS BEINTEG THE DIRECTOR OF THE, CHASITY
TAKES PART -- AS WELL AS BNGEI PART -- THE DIRECTOR OF THE F,
SHE HELPS ORGANIZE EVENTS THWI OTHER COMMUNITIES.
CHASTITY: WE ARE MORE THAN PRIDE MONTH.
WE HAVE POLITICIANS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT STOMP UDOS
, MAY AND JUNE, BUT WHERE EAR YOU WHEN IIST COLD AND WE HAVE
A HIGH NUMBER OF HOMELESS TRANS UNION -- TRANS WOMEN?
WHAT DO WE WANT?
JUSTICE.
KAREN: WHAT CHASTYTI HAS ACHIEVED FOR THIS MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITY IS UNPRECEDENTED AND THE PRIDE PEOPLE TAKE IN BNGEI
NEAR HER IS REMARKABLE.
>> WORKING WITH HER IS AMAZING.
KAREN: LOOKING AT YOUR FACE, YOU MUST BE SO PROUD.
>> I'M HER BIG SISTER, IOU W HELP HER ANYWAY I CAN, I ASO
PROUD OF CHASTITY IS A MOTIVATOR AND A HARD WORKER.
SHE WOULD DO ANYTHING TO GETER H WORK ACROSS.
KAREN: CHASITY HAS MANAG TED TRANSFORM HER EXPERIENCES TOIN
AN ARSENAL OF RESOURCES FOR ETH COMMUNITY AND HER MISSION IS
NEVER QUITE FINISHED.
CHASTITY: I'M HAPPY TO SAY TT WE WILL HAVE A HOUSE COMING SOON
IN MAY OF 2022 WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO HOUSE SIX TO SEVEN,
MAYBE EIGHT NOONNCFORMING TRANSGENDER FOLKWHS O WILLE B
ABLE TO GET THE RESOURCES THEY NEED.
KAREN: TO PUT IT SIMPLY,HE TRANSGENDER WORLD IS SER
THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE CHASY.IT CHASTITY: AS TRANS FOL, WEKS
GR UP EWTHINKING THAT ALL WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IS SEX WK,OR
ALL WE WOULD BE ABLEO BE T IS WORK AT MCDONALD'S AND A PZAIZ
SHOP.
BUT THAT'S THE COMPLETE OPPOTESI .
WE CAN BE LAWYERS, DOCTORS JUDGES, POLICE OFFICERS.
ANYBODY CAN DOHI TS WORK AS NGLO AS YOU HAVE THE DEDICATION TO IT
TO DO IT AND I WANT TO MENTOR AND GUIDE ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO
DO THIS WORK.
IT'S NEEDED.
WERE A NEEDED.
KAREN: UP NEXT, THE LEGAL AN POLITICAL DISCOURSE SURROUNDING
TRANSGENDER RITSGH HAS REACHED A FEVER PITCH.
BOTH SIDES, GALVANIZED AROUND OPPOSING POSITIO.NS
WE SPEAK WITH TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF TRANS
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S BEHIND THESE
POLITICAL DE