Eleven years ago, Gary Paul Wright, Executive Director of the African American Office of Gay Concerns (AAOGC) noticed that there were no interventions for transgender men and women. In response to the need and in true activist fashion, he created a symposium to support the transgender community, promote HIV prevention services, and honor transgender individuals who were no longer living.
That event has developed to what we know now as MASCARA. Annually, MASCARA is hosted in Newark and caters to the transgender/gender non-conforming (T/GNC) community and their allies. Information on trans services are shared, panelists address trans issues, and transgender activists are honored and celebrated with the Marsha P. Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous recipients of the Marsha P. Johnson Award include HIV advocates Tyra Gardner and Joi-Elle White, trans activist Babs Siperstein, trans super model Tracey “Africa” Norman, and celebrated performer and North Jersey Coordinator of Drag Queen Story Hour, Harmonica Sunbeam.
The AAOGC has proudly served the Greater Newark area for almost two decades with health programs & services developed to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by opening its doors daily for free 20-minute Rapid HIV testing, offering free condoms and sex education, as well as support groups and advocating for under-served populations.
MASCARA XI’s theme this year is A Legacy of Leadership, with keynote speaker La’Nae Grant, trans activist and liaison for the Mayor of East Orange. Speaking with MASCARA XI coordinator and health educator Mya Williams, she shared with the Newark Times her hopes for the event. “I hope MASCARA XI will help the community grow through healing and education, and further the foundation of people who are consistent in the work. I hope the take-away will help transpeople open up and understand that there is more than what the eye can see–trans is not just women, but also men; trans is not just gay, it is also queer and straight. I hope those in attendancewill have an open heart, open mind and receptive spirit, and that we as a community can build, survive, and thrive.” This year’s event will include break-out sessions and offer an intergenerational panel discussion on transgender leadership, as well as a presentation on Trans health services provided by Dr. Michelle Dalla Piazza of the Infectious Disease Practice. Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Clinical Research Center will also provide information on healing practices. Each year MASCARA is hosted in observation of Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Remembrance.
Transgender Day of Remembrance, also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually on November 20th as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. It is a day to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.
For more information and to register for Mascara, contact Rutgers NJMS Clinic Research Center at 844.782.6765 or email njmsclinicalresearchcenter@njms.rutgers.edu or CLICK HERE.
