In loving memory of Charlie

In 1995, in about 1000 square feet of space above a mattress store on Massachusetts Avenue, a center was opened to affirm the value and support the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth of color in Boston.

Through a range of wrap-around services, a leadership-development curriculum, and social programming, JRI Health’s Boston GLASS Community Center has been a place of support, affirmation, and empowerment for more than 25 years.

More than a decade (in some cases, two decades) after their time at GLASS, former members look back on who they were then and describe how the community center helped shape who they are today.

These are their reflections.

JulianAnton — Boston, MA, Community Organizer, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Musician

I can honestly say Boston GLASS is one of the places that helped raise and shape me into the Human Being I am today. They taught me about community and what it means and looks like to care for that community.

Back in the 00's right off the back of the 1900s as the kids nowadays like to call it (Oof that makes me feel old Iol) I was 14 and had just met one of my biological cousins in passing. To make a long story short, I have a HUUUUGE family and when I say huge I MEAN HUGE! So of course, I don't know all these people lol, but we kept chatting to get to know one another and she informed me that she knew of a space called Boston GLASS. She said Boston GLASS was a place where people like us, Black and Brown LGBTQ+ youth, could find a safe space and community. And I’m not gonna lie; at the time, that blew my mind, especially because I really thought there was no hope for someone like me, mainly due to the fact that I had never met anyone like me. You see, I knew I was queer at a very young age, but back in those days that just wasn't something you could really speak on without being traumatized and or ridiculed, ESPECIALLY if you were Black.

Well one day my cousin ended up taking me to Boston GLASS, and again I can honestly say my world changed forever, and from that day forward I never looked back. You gotta understand being able to find a community like that at such a young age. I definitely know now that THAT'S an astonishing privilege. So, I do my best to try and pay whatever I can forward like those before me. Y'all walked so we can run! 

Boston GLASS truly became a place where I could spread my wings, and I could never thank all the beautiful Black and Brown Queer staff/adults enough that paved the way, so that I could learn to fly.

So here I am saying THANK YOU, thank you for being there for me and continuing to be here for me ‘til this very day.

Devin — Boston, MA, City employee, Former dancer

As a teenager, I knew who I was, but I wasn’t sure how to express it. I was a dancer at a performing arts school, so it was leotards during the day, but after school it was jeans and a hoodie.

You know how the gay kids always spot the gay kids? Well, that’s how I met one of my friends from school. He and I would hang out in the Back Bay after school. We couldn’t really walk around Roxbury. He was a gay boy, and people would always fuck with him. Back Bay felt safer.

We had been going to everything there that had a rainbow flag outside. We would go to this bookstore and one day the guy who worked there was like, “There’s a center for kids like you.” We were like, “Like us?!” I mean, we were two Black kids from Roxbury walking around the Back Bay, so at first, we weren’t sure what “like you” meant. He gave us directions to Boston GLASS.

I walked into GLASS when I was 14 years old. We came out the elevator and it was like, “Oh shit! A place exists where we can fucking hang out!” And we went every day. It was amazing meeting other teenagers and seeing that there were adults who supported you. There was no safe space at school. My mom has always been accepting of me. I was one of the lucky ones, but for some there was no space at home either. No one saying “We love you,” “We’re going to protect you,” “Let’s help find you a job,” or “You need to be in school!” We got that at GLASS.

I think of myself as well-rounded and openminded. I definitely know who I am. I’m confident. I’ve been working for the city for 15 years now, and I am engaged to my girlfriend of six years. I’d like to let the little homies know that they can be anything and not to let anyone tell them otherwise. Be yourself, and surround yourself with good people.

Eziah — Atlanta, GA, Diversity & Inclusion Professional, Activist, Artist

Before finding GLASS, a google search nearly 11 years ago brought me to another LGBTQ youth space. When I arrived, I knew I was around other queer folks, but none of them looked like me. The words my family kept telling me were ringing true “Black people don’t do that; it’s a white thing.” I felt less alone for a moment and then more alone the next. But there in a sea of white faces a brown face appeared and asked me, “Have you been to Boston GLASS before?” I had no idea what she was talking about, but she let me know it’s for people “who look like us.” She gave me the address, and I decided to check it out a while later. 

Boston GLASS was really the place where I had the space to truly explore who I was. I learned so much about my gender, sexual orientation, racial and cultural identity and the history of QTPOC: People like Marsha P. Johnson, Bayard Rustin and Audre Lorde. So not only did I know that people like me have always existed, but I knew that we contributed so much to the world at large and so much to keep our community strong. What better gift is there for a black queer kid who lives in a world that tells them they do not exist and hold no value? This gave birth to the activism and youth work that has been at the forefront of my life ever since. I have dedicated my life to spreading that same knowledge I received – inside and outside of the LGBTQ community. 

Chino — Miami Beach, FL, Operations Manager

I remember my first time walking into Boston GLASS. At the time, I still wasn't 100% comfortable with my own sexuality and I did not know what to expect. My mind played a scene of people looking at me weird & whispering to each other. But as soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the staff and the youth hanging out there. Everyone was so warm and friendly. I felt so welcomed that I returned every single day until I moved to Miami. I ended up being a part of Shades of Color, GLASS’s peer leadership program, for about 2 years.

I made so many lifelong friends and Boston GLASS helped me embrace all of who I am. I think fondly of the years I spent at Boston GLASS (01-04) and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to interact and work with outstanding people!

Things are different now, since the LGBTQ movement is now a lot more visible than before. We're not just being portrayed as caricatures and stereotypes on TV and movies... although that's still a thing. We still have a long way to go, but we have come a very long way.

To anyone who might be questioning and/or struggling with their own sexuality: You're not broken! Embrace the differences, quirks, the good, the bad and the ugly about yourself. Acceptance comes from yourself first. Learn to love ALL of YOU! The rest will eventually fall into place.

Kamar “Dutch” Porter — Boston, MA, Prevention Network Coordinator, Musician

When I first started at Boston GLASS, the first thing that brought me there was my identity. My biological sister had a gay best friend that attended GLASS, and she invited me once I came out to her and let her know I was lesbian. I was named Dutch, from some people I met when I became a part of ballroom. I was a misfit. I was always defending my LGBTQ friends and family. I was able to learn who I was while I attended GLASS and transitioned.

I was also a high school dropout, but attending GLASS got me the opportunity for job readiness and a chance to study and receive my GED for free. This stuck out to me and also said a lot, that the people at GLASS really cared about me. That really meant a lot to me and is part of the reason I am able to be an advocate for my community but mostly who I am today. I went from being a youth at GLASS to giving back to my community and working at GLASS.

Thanks, Boston GLASS and the wonderful people that had a major impact on my life that worked there. You all are amazing and I am continuing the legacy.

 Giftson — Boston, MA, Counselor, Blogger, Performance Artist

I was 13 when I confided in an assistant teacher – who also acted as my guidance counselor. I told her that I didn’t feel as though I totally fit in with other students due to my sexuality. She recommended GLASS. I was a shy, insecure, misunderstood adolescent trying to find his identity and live in his truth. Who I am now is a man who owns every part of his identity, graciously lives in his truth, and also embraces self-evolution.  

A “GLASS moment” that sticks with me to this day is when I attended a focus group. The discussion was “male femininity”, which inspired me to work on a blog that features the lived experiences and focuses on what it’s like to navigate both queer and mainstream society with feminine energy. GLASS gave me the opportunity to embrace people who look like me and, through community, affirmed that my blackness is still of value even if I’m a same gender loving person. At GLASS I was able to gain the knowledge and understand the history of generations before me. I also came to understand the struggle even more – the struggle that exists within and outside of the queer/POC community today.

Today, I still work on my craft, which is performance art. I am also on a podcast that addresses the everyday experiences of queer POC. I’m working on creating my own blog/podcast that focuses more on the experiences of feminine-presenting men within dual societies. I also work in the mental health field as a residential counselor, and I am soon to be an outreach coordinator. In the new role I will guide differently-abled individuals back to a functional state of independence – integrating back into mainstream society while able to cope with illnesses and symptoms regarding their mental health. I am currently in a monogamous relationship with a former pastor for a year and experiencing what I call his evolution of truth. He is in a happier place and it is a privilege to experience his growth that allows our relationship to grow day by day.

Brian — Los Angeles, CA, Project Manager

When I was a sophomore in high school, my first boyfriend brought me to GLASS. Even though I went to an arts high school that was supportive of its LGBT students, GLASS felt like the only place I could truly be myself. People throw around the word family like it’s nothing today, but I feel very lucky to have truly been a part of a family that I found at GLASS. The fun times, inside jokes, ballroom scene memories (as an Evisu), and even challenging times we had together are some of my most treasured memories. Two members and one staff, in particular, taught me so much about everything from how to move in this world, to how to deal with relationships.

I worked as a Peer Educator with Shades of Color, GLASS’s peer education group. We traveled to various places around Boston to conduct workshops on topics such as safe sex, relationships, and racism. For the workshops on racism, I became an audience member and took everything in like a sponge. Being from Southie originally, I had no clue about the many, many, many levels of oppression that existed then – and am saddened to say those workshops could be done today without changing a single word, and still be factually correct. 

After living in NYC and Atlanta, I now live in LA. I work as a Project Manager on various ECommerce websites and mobile apps. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the skills I learned at GLASS and the relationships I made. However, a word of caution for anyone that takes a similar path to me: make sure that as you walk your path, you keep your family bonds strong. It’s something that I did not do a good job at, and it is a regret. Even though we’re all in different locations and phases of life, I’d go back to being a part of GLASS and a member of the House of Evisu in a heartbeat! I count my experience at GLASS as one of the most transformative times in my entire life.

Jahaira M. DeAlto — Boston, MA, Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Assault Counselor

I guess you could say that I was part of the second wave of GLASS attendees. At the close of 1996, I had been a volunteer at the Arlington Street Church, feeding the houseless on Friday nights. One of the lead volunteers suggested that I check out Boston GLASS, which had been born out of the original Boston Street Youth Outreach Program. When I arrived there the following week, I met the first girl of trans experience that I’d ever encountered. Truthfully, I’d never heard the word “transgender” prior to our introduction. I showed up to GLASS on a Wednesday, and for all intents and purposes, my own transition started two days later.

GLASS gave me a voice, in every sense of the term. Not only did I cultivate the skills necessary to advocate for myself, but I became able to advocate for marginalized groups across a range of demographics. Today, as an intimate partner violence and sexual assault counselor, I recognize inequities at the micro and macro level, and leverage my own experience to shine a light on those who are still finding their voice. Boston GLASS planted those seeds. I am the resulting tree. Thank you, GLASS.

For queer and trans people of color, every moment of self-love is an act of resistance and a reason for celebration.