Lorrainne Sade Baskerville is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

, and

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

best known for founding

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

advocacy group ''trans''GENESIS.

Life and career

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Baskerville was the eldest of seven children. In the 1970s, she became familiar with sex workers’ conditions and laws prohibiting wearing female clothing. When AIDS struck a member of her family in the mid-1980s, Baskerville began to volunteer at

Howard Brown Health Center Howard Brown Health is a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider founded in 1974 and based in Chicago. It is named after Howard Junior Brown. Mission Howard Brown Health is an organization that focuses on providing health care ...

and Horizons Community Services. She eventually became an

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

case manager.Heard, Jacquelyn (May 20, 1991). Diller and diamonds make AIDS benefit dazzle. ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' In 1994, she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from

Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is a Hispanic-serving institution. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park wi ...

. Baskerville founded ''trans''GENESIS to address issues of

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

, HIV/AIDS, sex work, harm reduction, and self-empowerment. Programs have included T-PASS (Trans-People Advocating Safer Sex); a weekly drop-in program for youth and young adults, called TransDiva; and a peer-led transgender support and discussion group. Lauerman, Connie (November 13, 2002). Life on the other side ; Born male, they chose to become the women they knew they were. ''

'' In 1997, Baskerville received the first Georgia Black Award for service to the transgender community.Hawkins, Karen (June 6, 2001)
Trans Activist Settles with DuSable.
''

Windy City Times ''Windy City Times'' is an LGBT newspaper in Chicago that published its first issue on September 26, 1985. History ''Windy City Times'' was founded in 1985 by Jeff McCourt, Bob Bearden, Drew Badanish and Tracy Baim, who started Sentury Publicati ...

'' In 2000, Baskerville was inducted into the

Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Chic ...

, chaired the Youth Events Committee for the Chicago Black Pride 2000 conference, and was selected by the

AIDS Foundation of Chicago AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a locally based, non-profit organization that advocates for HIV/AIDS prevention as well as serves as a general resource for the HIV/AIDS community. Founded in 1985, some of their better-known accomplishments include ...

and the 13th

International AIDS Conference The International AIDS Society (IAS) is the world's largest association of HIV/AIDS professionals, with 11,600 members from over 170 countries , including clinicians, people living with HIV, service providers, policy makers and others. It aims to r ...

to lead a panel on transgender issues.Bush, Rudolph (April 27, 2002). Officials, activists ask city of Chicago to back transgender rights. ''

'' In 2001, Baskerville received a Certificate for Recognition for Professional Leadership from Judy Baar Topinka, Illinois State Treasurer, and a Certificate of Recognition for Community Activism from Cook County (IL) State's Attorney,

Richard A. Devine Richard A. Devine (born July 5, 1943) is an American attorney who served as the Cook County State's Attorney from 1996 to 2008. Early life and education The second of five children, he was the son of a Chicago Water Department employee. Devine g ...

. In 2002, Baskerville was appointed to the Executive Committee of the National Coalition for

LGBT Health Various topics in medicine relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), besides HIV/AIDS, issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer, hepatitis, ...

.Weber, Lara (November 1, 2002). Victory for transgender rights. ''

Publications

References

External links

Lorrainne Sade Baskerville
via Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame American LGBT rights activists Living people Northeastern Illinois University alumni People from Chicago LGBT African Americans Transgender women Transgender rights activists Year of birth missing (living people) {{LGBT-activist-stub