ORLANDO | Bliss CARES recognized nearly 30 transgender individuals for the TRANSaction “Celebration of Success” at the Parliament House’s Footlight Theater Oct. 11.
Bliss Cares is a nonprofit dedicated to saving lives by treating and preventing the spread of HIV, Hepatitis and STDs. Bliss’ TRANSaction program, a six-part instructional series, assists the transgender community in providing education on a variety of topics such as safety, discrimination, medical, name changes and more.
“Tonight is a culmination of their classes, their hard work and dedication, and we are celebrating their success as leaders in their community,” says Maggie King, Director of Development and Community Relations for Bliss CARES. “The more transgender leaders we build up in the trans community and in the general public, the less fear there is going to be toward transgender people, and things like the bathroom issue is all based in fear.”
The event, hosted by 101.9 AMP Radio’s Chad Pitt, featured speeches from Bliss CARES founder and Medical Director Dr. Roberto Ortiz, Bliss CARES Executive Director Juan Rodriguez, Bliss CARES Community Liaison Shakyara Ralat and Program Director of The Contigo Fund Marco Quiroga.
Each graduate of the program was given a certificate, a lotus flower and a letter of recognition from Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. A Proclamation naming Oct. 11 as TRANSaction Day in the City of Orlando by City Commissioner Patty Sheehan was also read out.
The TRANSaction program at Bliss CARES was made possible by a grant from The Contigo Fund. Bliss CARES hopes to offer the TRANSaction program to the community twice a year with the next set of courses beginning in Feb. 2018.
Photos by Jeremy Williams.
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