It’s warm on Saturday morning, and there’s joy in the air at the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center (CONOTEC). By 10 a.m., community members have packed out the center’s first floor, waiting eagerly for the grand opening of its new healthcare clinic. It’s a historic moment that flows from the core of CONOTEC’s purpose: advocating for, creating pathways and uplifting the safety, resilience and wellbeing of trans and queer people.
Established by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in 2021, CONOTEC honors the legacy of its revered namesake, the “AIDS diva” Connie Norman: a trans activist who was at the frontlines of fighting against government inaction and negligence during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. For five years, the center has been the home base for various local trans and queer organizations, providing a sanctuary for queer elders and advocates to expand and continue their advocacy.
Now, the center’s new health clinic takes this mission further. A collaborative effort between trans medical professionals, activists, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation leaders, the clinic offers an expansive breadth of services that covers primary care, HIV medicine and treatment, sexual health, cancer screenings, and vaccinations. It is open to everyone, regardless of gender and sexual identity, as well as one’s ability to pay.
Advocates name the last few years as a major setback to trans health care, safety, and rights. As the federal administration targets this community by shuttering gender-affirming health clinics, writing laws that approve surveillance of and violence against trans people, the opening of this clinic is both an act of resistance and care. “We get to open doors instead of watching them close,” said Queen Chela DeMuir, who is vice president of AHF’s trans affinity group FLUX and the chief operating officer at CONOTEC.
Addressing the room with tenderness, DeMuir recounted the beginning of her transition. Her first hormone shot was administered by a queer elder she trusted, the medicine bought from a shop at a local swap meet. She remembered the confusion, the concern, the absence of professional care. But, like many other trans folks, she was willing to take these risks to actualize and make physical the person she always was.
The clinic removes the “guessing, fear, and barriers” DeMuir experienced, making sure trans people can receive the care they need in safe, affirming, and accessible spaces. “In this clinic…we care for everyone. We are building access with people who look like us, who understand us, and who carry a shared, lived experience…This is not just a ribbon-cutting. It’s a statement about who we are and what we deserve,” said DeMuir.
What trans and nonbinary community members deserve is easy access to healthcare and, thus, easy access to “justice, dignity and the right to live fully,” stated AHF chief medical officer Dr. Carl Millner. He reiterated that trans people, specifically trans women, are disproportionately impacted by HIV yet have fewer pathways to access care and support.
The clinic rewrites standard medical practice by centering trans lives in both their patient outreach and in their staff. Razan Alawadhi, an AHF nurse practitioner and trans woman, will bring nearly two decades of healthcare experience to help guide the clinic’s operations. “It is a dream of mine to establish this clinic,” said Alawadhi, who also hopes to advance studies and treatment in neglected research areas like sexual health for trans people.
On the other side, trans people who seek care are repeatedly met with varying levels of hostility and misunderstanding in health care spaces. “I remember going to an emergency room for a back injury — something unrelated to my transness — and being looked at like a freak,” said FLUX ambassador Laith Ashley, who described the humiliation with crystal clear detail. Those experiences don’t fade away; they leave lasting marks and create cycles of medical avoidance in trans and nonbinary communities.
“This [clinic] is here to help change experiences like that,” Ashley continued. “Here…providers recognize that affirming someone’s identity is not controversial. It’s compassionate medicine…So when we open a clinic like this, we are not just expanding health care services. We are expanding hope [and] sending the message that transgender people in this community are not alone.”
This message is not new. The fight for freedom was forged by trans ancestors, and is carried onward by present and future generations. It’s a “full-circle moment,” DeMuir explained to the Blade. “I knew that I was putting myself at risk when I was younger, so part of the work that I do is really making sure we make things better for those that come [after] us, and give them a sense of pride that they are seen.”
The fire beneath this fight for visibility blazes with the warmth and strength of its leaders and community. It’s just beginning. “I want to welcome you to the righteous rebellion,” said Queen Victoria Ortega, president of FLUX and the chief visionary officer of CONOTEC. “[This is] a place where doors will be open for folks…No one’s going to deport us. No one’s going to erase us off the earth. This is a place for [us] to have dignity and have access to health care for all.”
More information about the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center can be found on their website.
Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.
Kristie Song
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