The Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago’s South Side. And this year, led by Channyn Lynne Parker, it launched a behavioral health initiative, offering on-site therapy and medical services. This initiative expands the center’s impact on the community, giving Chicagoans a new way to be empowered to reach a future where everyone can flourish.
Parker, in addition to being CEO of Brave Space Alliance, is a human rights advocate, public speaker, and community leader who has spoken at the White House. This tireless worker currently serves as a commissioner for the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes and the Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security.
“Being a trans woman has taught me that my identity is not a burden but a beacon,” she says. “I don’t have to prove my worth to anyone — I belong here, and my success is my response to those who doubted me. When the world tries to silence you, let your success be your voice. Justice without restoration isn’t justice at all — it’s our duty to restore dignity and opportunity to those who’ve been pushed aside.” @bravespacealliance
Mey Rude
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Gabriella Angelina
Nick Adams
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Nick Adams, vice president of the GLAAD Media Institute, has been fighting for transgender equality since joining the organization in 1998. His role is to amplify the voices of trans people and help them be “trans in the public eye.”
He created the transgender section of GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide, setting industry standards for respectful and accurate reporting. Adams’s expertise has been incredibly valuable in major media moments, including Caitlyn Jenner’s coming-out story in 2015.
This year, Adams worked closely with Trevor Anderson, the co-writer and director of a new film, Before I Change My Mind, about a teen living in Alberta, Canada, whose gender is never clarified but is the driving force behind the story. Adams says the film “is a welcome and necessary antidote to the lies about trans youth being peddled by anti-trans politicians.”
As a transgender man himself, Adams says he’s passionate about continuing the fight against the small group of loud, fringe, anti-trans activists working to scare Hollywood into removing queer characters from the media. “I will make sure executives and creators know that the vast majority of their audiences expect and want to see our stories on screen,” he says. @glaad