“I did not come out of the closet. I stepped out on the scene.”

Lorrainne Sade Baskerville is a Black trans woman who founded Chicago’s first trans-run, trans-serving social agency called transGenesis. Between 1995-2003, its services included street and community outreach, education, social support, counseling, and a HIV prevention program called T-PASS (Trans People Advocating Safer Sex). During her time in Chicago, she served on the boards of the Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) and the Chicago Police Department’s 23rd District Gay and Lesbian Advisory Group. Bringing transGenesis to life was Lorrainne’s dream, and its impact on Chicago’s trans community remains part of her legacy. In 2000, Lorrainne was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.

In this episode Lorrainne shares her story with Gerber/Hart, many years after donating her collection to our archive. Her incredible collection of awards, transGenesis ephemera, and artwork sparked the interest of many volunteers, including archivist Whit Sadusky and Gerber/Hart Programs and Social Media Coordinator Jennifer Dentel. Listen to them discuss the importance of outreach and diversity in archival collections.

Unboxing Queer History is created by Ari Mejia, Jen Dentel, and Erin Bell. Produced by Ari Mejia with Hannah Viti. Artwork by Mere Montgomery & theme music by Danny Robles! And special thanks to Jules Gordon for co-producing the episode on People Like Us books and Alyssa Edes for producing the episode on Lorrainne Sade Baskerville! Special thanks to RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) for the "My Library Is... " grant that funded this project