Borealis Philanthropy’s Emerging LGBTQ Leaders of Color Fund is excited to welcome four new leaders to its Young Trans Women of Color (YTWOC) cohort—an innovative leadership development program that invests in trans organizers working across movements and issues. Through multi-year support, salary contributions, and peer learning opportunities, the ELLC Fund provides these brilliant leaders with the resources, stability, and community they need to build power and sustain their movements for the long haul.
The year’s grant announcement comes amid an intensifying and coordinated attack on trans rights, Black lives, and the movements fighting for our liberation. Seeing the forces in government mount this assault on BIPOC and trans folks makes clear it is more urgent than ever for philanthropy to stand with and for trans organizers—investing in the leaders who are not only confronting these crises head-on but also building toward a more just, loving and liberated future.
Read on to meet the new visionary leaders joining the YTWOC cohort.
Diamond Stylz has been a leading voice in the Black trans community, using activism and media to amplify trans experiences. At 17, she won a First Amendment lawsuit against her school for the right to wear a gender-affirming gown to prom. She later became the first openly trans woman to attend Jackson State University, where her passion for advocacy only deepened. For over a decade, she has used social media to document trans lives and global events, creating an invaluable archive of history and culture. She hosts Marsha’s Plate, a podcast exploring politics and culture through a trans, pro-Black feminist lens, and leads Marsha’s Plate Media, an initiative blending activism, storytelling, and community-building to uplift and preserve the voices of trans and non-binary people of color.
Iya Dammons is the driving force behind Baltimore Safe Haven. What began as mobile outreach from a van in 2018 has evolved into a lifeline for many—a permanent address that offers the very things Iya once needed: workforce development, assistance with name changes, clothing, showers, and a safe space. Under Iya’s leadership, Baltimore Safe Haven provides trans women of color with critical support as they navigate homelessness, violence, and survival sex work. As a Black trans woman, Iya’s own lived experiences deeply inform her work, allowing her to create a sanctuary for those who have been pushed to the margins. Today, Baltimore Safe Haven stands as a beacon for LGBTQ+ individuals, offering emergency housing, healthcare access, and harm reduction services, in service of a community where safety and dignity are not just ideals but realities.
Nyla Foster, Executive Director of the Trans Women of Color Collective (TWOCC), is committed to building power and creating safe, affirming spaces for Black and Brown trans women. Since joining in 2016, she has launched transformative initiatives such as the Healing Restorative Justice Institute, the Level Up Organizing to Action Initiative, and the Rhythms of Resilience Art Festival, while also providing emergency housing assistance and gender-affirming identification services. Under her leadership, TWOCC has secured fiscal sponsorship, established a physical location, and distributed over $10,000 in microgrants, while also mobilizing crisis intervention in response to the violent deaths of Black trans women in Kansas City. TWOCC prioritizes serving Black and Brown trans women—ensuring not only access to vital resources but also opportunities to develop leadership skills and drive their own movements.
Ciora Thomas, founder of Sisters PGH, has dedicated her life to creating safe, affirming spaces for Black trans women and nonbinary folks in Pittsburgh. Motivated by her own experiences, she built Sisters PGH to address urgent needs like emergency housing and healthcare, while also tackling the root causes of systemic injustice. Ciora’s vision extends beyond immediate support—through People’s Pride PGH, she reimagines Pride to center the most marginalized in her community. As the first Black trans woman to serve on both Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA Advisory Council and Pennsylvania’s Commission on LGBT Affairs, Ciora continues to amplify the voices of trans folks in spaces where their voices are often unheard.
In this overwhelmingly queer- and trans-antagonistic moment, funders must listen to, trust, and invest in trans leadership—and provide long-term, stable, and flexible funding to sustain and strengthen the work of our next generation’s leaders. To learn more about partnering with Borealis Philanthropy’s Emerging LGBTQ Leaders of Color Fund—to resource and elevate the wisdom of our YTWOC cohort and other BIPOC queer and trans organizers—please connect with us at ELLC@borealisphilanthropy.org.