‘This Is Not a Shelter:’ Ceyenne Doroshow on Providing Free, Safe Space for LGBTQ People in Need

Ceyenne Doroshow founded Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society, or G.L.I.T.S., in 2015 to help trans and sex-worker communities with issues like housing and health care. These needs became increasingly urgent after the onset of the pandemic in 2020, one of the deadliest years on record for trans and gender-­nonconforming people. In response, Doroshow and her team at G.L.I.T.S. began fund­raising; they bailed LGBTQIA+ inmates out of COVID-ravaged jails and housed them in safe Airbnb rentals; secured rent money for the Black trans community; and ultimately bought a $2 million 12-unit residential building that would be a free safe place for Black trans folks to live. The G.L.I.T.S. House in Queens, N.Y., opened in November. Nearly four months later, all of the units are filled and personally customized for each tenant by an interior decorator. In a nation where more than half a million people were homeless even before the pandemic, Doroshow spoke with TIME about the way forward.

Read the full interview here