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Instead, organization members found graffiti painted on their door saying, “F--- pride, die.” Despite this attempt to throw them off course, the LGBTQ non-profit is steering straight into the future.
“We will not be deteriorated by someone's actions or how they feel,” said Executive Director Iya Dammons. “We will not be forgotten. We will not be erased. This is our time.”
Baltimore Safe Haven, who works closely with Baltimore’s transgender community, is hosting their Trans Pride and Block Party on June 4.
Shaping up to be the biggest trans pride celebration in the city, the event will feature vending opportunities, grand march entries, local entertainment and sponsorship opportunities. The event will exemplify the organization’s commitment to helping the transgender community be seen and heard.
“I'm doing this to show the trans community that we do matter. The representation of every trans individual here in Baltimore city matters,” Dammons said. “This is dear to me, and dear to our community to put us on the front lines and the representation of the work that we have been doing for over the last three years.”
Baltimore Safe Haven has become the most dominant transgender organization in the Baltimore area since its foundation in 2018. While the non-profit has garnered tremendous national attention, Dammons said her true success is measured through the success of her community.
“The most promising thing that I get is to see one of my staff members, or one of my clients who looks like me, who came from the same streets that I've came from, getting apartments, getting an education and resources,” she said. “To be able to see the smile on the people's faces that I serve does it for me the most.”
Much like the recent attack on Baltimore Safe Haven, Dammons said she has received her fair share of hatred for the work she’s done. She specifically touched upon the struggles of being a transgender woman of color leading an LGBTQ organization. But through it all, Dammons has not taken her eye off serving the posterity of her community.
“Every breath that a trans person takes is an act of revolution,” she said. “This event is so necessary to let our youth that's living in our carbon footprint know that if there’s a will there’s a way and this is what it looks like to live out your dreams.”
More information about Baltimore Safe Heaven and their Trans Pride event can be found on their website or by following them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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