Trans Chicagoans now have access to a gender-affirming makeup room, thanks to a generous fundraising effort led by the Brave Space Alliance and the Chicago Black Drag Council.
The new makeup room is the result of a donation drive launched earlier this year, which was met with $60,000 in fiscal donations and 4,000 donated makeup items, according to the local news site Block Club Chicago. Located on the south side of Chicago, the space welcomes Black, Brown and Indigenous sex workers, as well as trans and gender-nonconforming people. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Brave Space Alliance, which describes itself as “dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services,” is also working on an gender-affirming room for transmasculine guests. It will include binders, packers, underwear, accessories, and personal grooming items.
Additionally, the group will be collecting nonperishables and long-lasting food items throughout the month of October, and a winter coat drive will launch on November 14.
Community members can support these efforts by dropping off makeup supplies at Brave Space Alliance’s headquarters on 1515 E. 52nd Place in East Hyde Park — which, incidentally, is the same location as the new makeup room. Organizers are currently seeking new and unused eyelashes, brown eyeliner, hair, brushes, setting spray, and more.
Although many LGBTQ+ people are still grappling with the economic effects of the pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on queer and trans workers, Brave Space Alliance urges anyone who can give to donate to groups who were already marginalized before the pandemic. For instance, trans people were already twice as likely to be unemployed as the average person even prior to COVID-19.
