Brave Space's Story
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Brave Space Alliance was founded by a group of brave individuals in 2017 to fill gaps in services for trans and LGBQ+ people living on the South and West Sides of Chicago. Most Chicago programs that provide health and support services to trans and LGBQ+ individuals are located on the North Side and only provide temporary solutions that do not address systemic problems.
There has long been a need for an LGBTQ+ center that prioritizes Black and Brown transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, as this community includes some of the most marginalized and vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community.
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As an organization firmly rooted on the South Side, Brave Space Alliance centers the most marginalized members of the trans and LGBQ+ community (Black and Brown trans people) whose needs and liberation have often been sidelined by the larger community. We are proud that our leadership, staff, and Board of Directors all reflect the communities we serve.
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Today, BSA is positioned to serve our community as a brave, emboldened LGBTQ+ center on the South Side of the city offering a broad range of services in an affirming and welcoming environment.
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Our Mission​
Brave Space Alliance strives to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build a world of liberty and justice for all.
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We are leading a movement for the rights and liberation of the entire trans and LGBQ+ community. We envision a city where Black and Brown trans and LGBQ+ lives are fully valued, fiercely protected, and powerfully equipped to thrive.
Our Pillars of Dignity
All of Brave Space Alliance's services and programs are developed through and in service of our guiding pillars of Health, Housing, Food, and Identity. These social determinants of wellness are benchmarks with which we ensure we are meeting each of the immediate needs of the communities we serve.
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Our programs and spaces are designed to be welcoming and affirming, ensuring that every participant, ally, and advocate who walks through our doors knows that they belong in our community.
HEALTH
We believe that health encompasses our individual and collective state of well-being, not merely the absence of illness. BSA provides preventative physical and behavioral health services and related community programming, as well as testing and treatment services.
FOOD
We believe that food provides not only sustenance, but nourishment and enjoyment. Food brings individuals, communities, and cultures together in dialogue, cultural exchange, celebration, and comfort.
HOUSING
We believe that housing goes beyond having shelter to making a home, to having what we need to feel at home, and feeling a sense of community and safety.
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IDENTITY
We believe that identity comprises not only our physical and social characteristics and traits, but how we perceive and understand ourselves and move through the world. A key aspect of this is our right and ability to groom and dress ourselves in a way that dignifies our humanity and reflects who we are.
