NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Sean Ebony Coleman used to identify as a male, but his outside appearance didn’t align with what he felt on the inside.
Back in the 1990s, Coleman decided to seek hormone replacement therapy in order to medically transition from female to male. But he quickly found out the treatment was not going to be easy to obtain.
“We found a black market space. I’m not going to say the doctor's name but he was in the Central Park area,” Coleman told 1010 WINS. “And he charged us about $150 every time we had to go in and get a shot. And you are supposed to get a shot twice a month. So it's 150 for the shot, plus, we paid additional for the visit.”
Those barriers to accessing basic, necessary services is part of the reason Coleman wanted to start his own space for members of the LGBTQ community to easily get what they need, be it healthcare, housing, career readiness or other support.
Founded in 2009, Destination Tomorrow was born out of the need to have Black and brown representation in non-profit LGBTQ spaces, especially in New York City’s outer boroughs.
“We provide direct services, our core factors are economic empowerment. We want to give folks the tools they need to be successful. And then it's morphed into other things because it's community led,” Coleman said. “What we wanted to do was make sure that LGBT community members and the South Bronx and surrounding areas had access to vital services.”
For Coleman, it was really important to have an LGBTQ center in the Bronx specifically so that those in need of services wouldn’t have to travel to Manhattan, or leave their neighborhood, to get help.
Destination Tomorrow offers an array of support including mental health and wellness, health counseling, case management, housing, academic enrichment, job readiness and professional development. The organization is also in the process of opening a 100-bed shelter for LGBTQ community members in Manhattan.
Last year, Destination Tomorrow opened a center in Atlanta, an area of the country where Coleman said is in critical need of these types of services. Eventually, Coleman wants to expand to every state in the country.
“I told my staff, I was like, DT is gonna be like McDonald's, wherever you pop in, you're gonna get the same services,” Coleman explained. “As a goal, because I want to make sure that whether you're in Alabama or Albuquerque, if you are in need of services, you can come in and visit a site.”
Coleman is the first transgender African American to operate an LGBTQ center in New York City. Along with running Destination Tomorrow, Coleman is a staunch advocate for policies that impact the lives of LGBTQ New Yorkers.
Through Coleman’s work and passions, he’s often the only Black trans person in the room. And while he enjoys having the opportunity to represent the community, it can also be draining and he hopes his leadership will open up paths for others.
“I don't have all the answers,” Coleman explained. “And I don't pretend to and I don't want to represent everybody, we all should be representing ourselves. I just want folks to understand that Black trans men exist, and we need a voice and we need a space. So again, invite us to the table more frequently so we can have nuanced discussions about what we need as well.”
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