“In the same city where state lawmakers passed the strictest trans healthcare ban in the nation, members of a Black, trans and queer-led organization cracked jokes, blew bubbles, played cards, found compassion and community during a recent sunny Sunday afternoon at Shakespeare Park in Montgomery, Ala,” said author Jonece Starr Dunigan for the Reckon.
“Quentin Bell, a Black trans man raised in the civil rights hotbed of Selma, Ala., founded the grassroots nonprofit commonly known as TKO in 2012 to empower and support Black trans and nonbinary people who were lacking resources in rural Alabama.”
“TKO tackles homelessness, food insecurity, non-affirming healthcare services and other issues by connecting Black LGBTQ+ people to resources such as support groups, a community garden and housing assistance. In 2017, TKO became the first Black and trans-led AIDS Service Organization and STD/STI clinic in the state. TKO clients don’t pay a dime to tap into the nonprofit’s network of gender-affirming doctors. Therapy services are also free.”