In Kensington, a nonprofit focuses on strengthening the bonds of community among LGBTQ Philadelphians | Philly Gives

Poised to graduate from Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia — an all-boys charter high school in West Philly — Hazel Edwards, who had transitioned from boy to girl, wanted to wear a dress.

No way. The high school supported feminine boys, she said, but, she told them, “Actually, I’m a girl.”

“In a meeting, they told me I was a boy, so I walked out of the school,” she said. “After I was kicked out of the school, I was kicked out of my house.”

Now, Edwards works at Galaei — a nonprofit focused on providing support as well as services and advocacy for and by queer, trans, Black, brown, Indigenous, and people of color. But she first came to the Kensington nonprofit in desperate need of help.

Many services are practical. Twice monthly, for example, Galaei offers “Top to Bottom,” a workshop “keeping track of our anal health” by providing a “Brave space for bottoms to talk about anatomy, risk factors and learn how to have safe(r) play.” Free OraQuick HIV testing kits and free condoms are available. Galaei has connections with other nonprofits that can assist with housing or counseling.

Much of that happens in Galaei’s headquarters in a former factory located on a quiet side street near Norris Square Park.

But Galaei is far from quiet. Twice a year, it produces two of the city’s largest public events — the Philly Pride 365 March and Resource Fair in June and OURfest to celebrate National Coming Out Day in October.

How big are these events? Executive director Tyrell Brown estimates that 110,000 people attended this year’s Philly Pride, with 30,644 receiving wristbands signifying they had received some sort of resources from Galaei or its partners. At OURfest, that number increased to 40,000.

Day to day, though, Galaei’s services are personal. When Edwards was homeless, sleeping on the street, and trying to find her way, Galaei provided practical help and much more.

“I had to survive,” said Edwards, who directs Galaei’s TINGS program (Trans Intersex Non-Binary and Gender-nonconforming Services).

At Galaei, “There were people like me, people like Ebony, people like Diamond, and that’s when I realized that the situation I was in was temporary, and I could be a better version of myself,” she said.

“When there’s a trans person who is experiencing homelessness, and they see someone who looks like them, they are able to have hope.”

And dinner.

Which is what Galaei staffers Ebony Ali and Diamond Anthony were preparing the day before Thanksgiving.

Dressed in a tiger-pattern shirt, see-through metallic skirt, a fake fur hat, and high white heels, Ali monitored pots of smoked-turkey-infused collard greens, black-eyed peas, and a curried lentil stew, as a butter-basted turkey roasted in the oven.

Ali, a performance artist who runs Galaei’s youth program, SPLAT (Student Power Leadership and Activism Together), said she’s always been involved in both advocacy and producing artistic events.

“When I grew up, I got into drag. To me, drag is one of the most diverse forms of performance,” she said. “It’s more than dressing like a woman. It’s like being a whole different character.”

As Ali supervised the turkey, Anthony bustled around, tending to details.

“The mission of Galaei is very important because we’re supporting the well-being and wellness of Black and brown people in our community because we are the most marginalized,” Anthony said. “It’s important to uplift and provide resources for people who don’t normally get support.”

Anthony initially came to Galaei looking for community. She was drawn to Galaei’s music studio and the HIV testing kits. “There were community resources for me and other people,” she said. “I didn’t have to do it alone.”

“For me, the testing is very important,” she said. “We are adamant about sexual health and wellness. It keeps you safe and the people around you safe.”

As folks began to arrive with pies and other goodies, Brown, the executive director, finished up some last-minute work in their office. (They’d soon be deputized to prepare a pasta salad.)

“In 2011 or 2012, I found out that I was HIV-positive,” Brown said. “It was a shock to my system. It was earth-shattering because you don’t know how it’s going to end. What if you’re sick in perpetuity? How is your life going to change? I had plans for my life and this was not in my plans.”

“The shock of it all, it isolates you,” they said. “You don’t know anyone around you who is positive. You don’t know anyone who is processing what you are.

“Knowing what I had experienced, I knew I didn’t want that to happen to anyone else. I wanted to be part of something that was forwardly and outwardly saying, ‘This is the space for you — affirming and supportive of you.’”

“You can just come here and kick up your feet, watch TV, and eat snacks,” Brown said. “You don’t have to do anything.”

“‘This is the space for you — affirming and supportive of you.’”

But for those who do want to do something, there are plenty of options. On Thursdays, Edwards hosts Crafty Jawns, and Friday is game day.

On Monday and Wednesday, the music studio is open. Currently, two bands are working on songs.

One group, Brown said, is all bisexual, all age 16, and “they are trying to find their voices through songwriting. This is a platform for them to get their sea legs, to do it with our guidance as the grown-ups in the space, and to do it with the kind of kindness and compassion that we inspire in other people.”

Various mental health and wellness groups meet weekly, from a Mindfulness Monday session to a Friday gripe group known as “Bad Bitches Have Bad Days Too.”

In addition, Galaei visitors can comb through racks jammed with free clothes — from ball gowns to business attire — or browse a bookcase stocked with kids’ books and novels by LGBTQ writers.

Many of the people who come to Galaei have, like Brown, experienced physical violence. Most cope with depression, confusion, and loneliness.

Longing for community is paramount.

“I just love Galaei,” said Morgan Faul, relaxing at the table as she waited for the turkey to finish roasting. “It has good services and a good creative space.”

“I don’t have a blood family, so this is my holiday meal. This is my family. It’s a place to gather, to create,” she said. “It’s important to have these services here in Kensington. We need the love.”

Which is what Nelson Torres-Gomez, Galaei’s operation manager, discovered when they found Galaei. “It was hard for my family to accept” when they came out as bisexual.

Before Galaei, everywhere they went, “I was the gay kid. When I came to Galaei, it was amazing to be in a space where I wasn’t the gay kid. I was Nelson.”

Torres-Gomez, who grew up in North Philly, left home at 19, couch-surfing with friends. “Galaei had my back. It was having a place to decompress, to have a family, to call home. They showed up for me in the ways my family couldn’t.”

Now, Torres-Gomez is determined to show up for their community as the political climate for queer and trans people worsens.

“We survived [President-elect Donald] Trump once, and we can survive him again,” they said. “It was hard to have all my Black, brown, and Indigenous friends wake up crying the day after the election, but I can’t be consumed by my grief.”

“I’m an activist and pioneer,” they said. “I have to be ready and willing to show up for my community and my friends.”

Jane M. Von Bergen spent more than 25 years as a reporter and editor at The Inquirer. janevonbtheater@gmail.com

This article is part of a series about Philly Gives — a community fund to support nonprofits through end-of-year giving. To learn more about Philly Gives, including how to donate, visit phillygives.org.

Mission: Galaei is a queer, trans, Black, brown, Indigenous, and people of color radical social justice organization serving the Latine/a/o/x community while widening its embrace. Galaei provides services, support, and advocacy for all QTBIPOC communities.

People served: 76,000, including people who received resources at Philly Pride and OURfest events

Annual spending: $1.06 million

Point of “Pride”: That such a small organization can produce two major citywide events, Philly Pride 365 March and Resource Fair in June and OURfest to celebrate National Coming Out Day in October, all the while providing individual services at Galaei headquarters

You can help: By becoming a volunteer organizer or by staffing events

Support: phillygives.org/philly-gives/

Connect: 118 Fontain St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, or online at galaeiqtbipoc.org

Website: galaeiqtbipoc.org