Cultivating Home

Demi and Michael met briefly at Demi’s first New York DJ gig with Telfar in 2019, and their bond was palpable. Following a successful Valentine’s Day event they hosted together and a transcendent tarot reading, Perez and Andres felt that they were destined to share space with each other and curate environments for queer people to feel nurtured, uplifted and celebrated in the same way. The two parted in tears, with plans to  host parties and mutual aid events in the city, until the pandemic hit. After feeling alienated from their senses of belonging and purpose, their mission became more vital, and Angelito Collective was born.

You and Michael have a magical friendship. How did you two create the Angelito Collective?  

Demiyah— After our first successful party, ‘Tentación,’ on Valentine’s Day of 2020, Michael and I knew we were destined to hold space for our community to come together and tell our story through our talents. The euphoria of this night truly inspired us into the next chapter of our lives. When the lockdown began, we recalled this evening as a means to hold onto hope and remind ourselves of our innate ability to foster community through radical acts of love and connection.

You both have created space for other queer people to feel community and warmth. How have you cultivated a home for yourself? 

D— Growing up in Canada, going to a Catholic High School, being the only trans woman, there was a lot of ignorance projected onto me. My biggest strength was transmuting all of the negativity of those projections by stepping into my light and responding through love and compassion as well as embracing my role as a pioneer.

I began my public transition in high school, where I developed a strong bond with my vice principal who was an advocate for queer youth. Without her, I wouldn't have believed in my worthiness to exist and take up space. She held space for me to embody leadership in a way that I always aspired to. Her impact inspired me to want to be that change for others. I am a product of her legacy and I want to be able to show up for trans women and let them know they’re worthy of everything this world has to offer because we are the world.

What has been your process with unlearning ignorance?

D— My process of dismantling ignorance has also been affected throughout the early phases of my transition when I had to detach completely from my dad's side of the family who are Jamaican, Jehovah's Witnesses, and were never accepting of my truth. There was a lot of ignorance that came from them that I think I've had to do a lot of deep shadow work, especially in moving back home, of really confronting those experiences of not feeling like I was loved, and not feeling good enough. But in moving to Toronto, the pace of life was just so different. I was transitioning throughout University [and] everything was happening so fast. I didn't really have a moment to process my life and really understanding my life independently from all the things that have influenced me. So now returning back home during the pandemic, to a loving family, that is my mom's side of the family, everyone is extremely accepting. I get to now exist in a communal space with people that have been on this journey with me and that showed me, unconditional love. But because of the negative experience of my dad's side of the family, I refuse myself from accepting their love. It’s something I'm still working through- being open. 

Michael, tell me about the time you stepped into your queer identity? 

Michael — When I was 18, I moved to Florence, Italy to study abroad. After arriving at my residence, I was introduced to my roommate Mars, who was the first non-binary person I met. Although this was new to me, I recognized how important it was to them that we respect their pronouns. 

Sharing space with Mars allowed me to step into my queerness. We would discuss gender all the time [and] share makeup and nail polish- forms of expression I didn’t allow myself to experience when I lived in the states. Back home, I was lucky enough to have the support of my family, but I saw this as an opportunity to experiment with my look and get in touch with my femininity. 

How did you get into the Ballroom world? 

M — I was introduced to Ballroom By Jason Rodriguez, who plays Lamar on the FX series Pose. Jason invited me to my first ever ball, OTA weekly, produced By Leggoh JoVera at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn, New York. Jason ended up missing the ball due to work, but I was already there and I thought I might as well have a ki'. But luckily I was there with my friends and the next category was face. I was like, ‘I should walk,’ and my friends were really supportive. So I ended up stepping into the light, walking the category, and getting 10s by some of the panel, but also getting chopped by some of them because I wasn’t smiling. They ended up cutting the music and saying, ‘If you did not do your research coming to the ball, make sure you do your research before you come to the ball.’ They were telling me to smile and that was the reason why I didn’t get my 10s. Luckily they let me walk again. I had my second chance and I ended up getting Grand Prize that night. After that night, I was just like, ‘I have to be back.’ Then I went back every single Monday.

Tell me about some of the members of the Collective

M— Last June of 2020, when the Angelito Collective came into conception, we were introduced to Alfonso Estrada. At the time, they were organizing their first-ever birthday fundraiser to support the community in Corona, Queens during the pandemic. Alfonso helped Demi and I curate our first, digital fundraiser in support of La Red Comuntaria Trans in the Red Light District of Colombia. 

D— With this fundraiser, we were able to raise 17,000 dollars that provided on-the-ground resources as well as supported costs towards housing for trans women.  

M — Sinn had painted my face a couple of times before she officially joined our team. We knew Sinn’s innovative makeup style would be perfect in the development of the ‘Toxic’ characters, a short film we shot in the fall of 2020, inspired by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. After her exceptional work on set, and her commitment to help us create space for members in the community, we knew we needed a star like her in our team.

M— Cheyenne and I go way back- we met in high school. Early on in our relationship, we enjoyed imagining all that our lives could be and how excited we were to attain those things for ourselves and others. One of the things we dreamt about was making a short film. Her background in screenwriting and her excitement to direct made her the perfect fit to help us bring ‘Toxic’ to fruition.

D— When we finalized the script for ‘Toxic’ we were in search of a videographer that could execute our vision. By the divine synchronicity of the universe, we were guided to have Jordan Shelwood, who shot and edited ‘Toxic.’ Jordan’s interpretation of our story was perfectly translated to telling the story of a black trans woman struggling to navigate the social barriers and challenges of a heteronormative world.

Any future projects from the Angelito Collective? 

D— During the pandemic, I was able to do my 200hrs Yoga Teachers certification and this journey has inspired me to set renewed intentions for how I can create spaces of healing in the community. As I return to New York this Pride weekend, I will be leading the Angelito Collective’s first Heal In community yoga class. 

M— As for creative projects, the Angelito Collective is working on a fashion film campaign with an NYC Femme footwear brand. We are also in the process of planning our first in-person community gathering and other mutual aid programming. This year we are also being highlighted in the We The Collective documentary, centered on NYC’s nightlife economy and the black and brown LGBTQIA+.