Lorrainne Sade Baskerville: Joy, Survival, Legacy

“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 donat ...