Group meets every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month
Philadelphia, PA (October 5, 2021) – In the last five years, more than 120 transgendered people were murdered, 86% of them were people of color. Bebashi – Transition to Hope is fighting to end this trend and offering a safe space for trans people of color to gather with The Healing Place, a support group that is part of their new Melanin Magic program. “After starting at Bebashi, I saw there was a need for a support group for people who identity like myself,” said Prevention Navigator A’hmea Branch, a transgender woman of color. Melanin Magic offers people of the trans experience access to Bebashi’s Trans Necessities Closet, HIV and STI testing, PREP, and hormone therapy. The program also offers a support group, The Healing Place, which will host their inaugural meeting this Thursday, October 7. According to Branch, The Healing Place will feature events, such as dinner and a movie, along with informational sessions on subjects like how to obtain a job and how to legally change your name. “I hope The Healing Place helps empower people of color in the trans community,” said Branch. To learn more about Melanin Magic or Bebashi’s LGBTQ services, visit www.bebashi.org or call 215-769-3561.
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About Bebashi – Transition to Hope
Bebashi – Transition to Hope is a nonprofit that was founded as a full-service HIV/AIDS organization with special interest in serving low-income people of color with HIV disease. As the second-oldest AIDS service organization in the Philadelphia region, Bebashi was the first African American organization in the United States to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It remains one of Philadelphia’s largest community-based minority providers of HIV/AIDS education and services for the urban community.Bebashi’s purpose is to empower people to enhance the quality of their health and overall well-being by providing access to culturally sensitive high-quality healthcare to economically challenged individuals and families. Since its inception in 1985, the organization has expanded to address other health disparities impacting the community. Bebashi’s services also include hunger relief, breast health education, primary medical care and criminal justice.