Office Initiatives: I ♥ ME Auction
G.L.I.T.S (gays and lesbians living in a transgender society), founded by Ms. Doroshow in 2015, is a community supporting transgender sex workers with holistic practices of harm reduction, human rights principles, economic and social justice, and a commitment to empowerment and pride that comes from within the queer community. They address the unique crises faced by transgender sex workers through supporting asylum seekers, providing health care and health resilience, access to housing, all while advocating for the health, wellness and inclusion of transgender people. G.L.I.T.S stands against the stigmatization and criminalization of trans people extending to anti-prostiution and anti-sex work legislation. Their work, central to New York City, but spanning across the U.S. and globally, centers Black trans leadership and uses a multi-generational approach to growth, ensuring that the intersections of the LGBTQIA+ community are prioritized and celebrated. Learn more about their work and how to get involved at https://www.glitsinc.org/.
“The idea started with a conversation about auctioning one item and evolved into a dialogue about what we wanted to see in a Pride campaign in an environment where corporations are moving into a territory that is exploiting queer people in a R.O.I mentality of celebrating them/us,” said organizers John Mollett and Bobbi Menuez. “We wanted to create something celebratory that felt authentic and empowering, in that there is no corporate profit involved, all the resources generated go towards the life-saving work G.L.I.T.S does and we actually don't need corporations to do this.” they add.
I ♥ ME is a celebration of self-love, and an exploration of its manifold manifestations, placing the cultivation of self-love as a cornerstone of queer communities. Alongside each donated item is a personal statement from its contributor on what self love means to them.
"Self love means perceiving and treating myself for what I am. When I let myself exist without projecting, without walls up and without second thought, I think I am exhibiting self-love,” said Hunter Schafer, transgender model, artist, and actress, best known for her role as Jules on HBO’s Euphoria.
Chloe Wise, NYC-based Canadian artist, contributed an 11 x 14-inch oil painting entitled “Portrait of the Artist as a Pink Chair,” because “Sometimes sitting out is an act of self-love,” says Wise.
You will not want to sit this one out! Up for auction is an impressive collection of celebrity memorabilia, like the full look worn by Aaron Philip in Sephora’s ‘We Belong to Something Beautiful’ campaign, designer collectibles including small, medium, and large signed Telfar bags, and even a one-on-one meeting with Ceyenne Doroshow herself and all for a great cause! And as always, there’s more you can do. In addition to the items for auction, I ♥ ME is releasing a series of limited-edition T-shirts featuring illustrations by Gabrielle Rosenstein and photography by Logan Jackson at: https://www.willbeesny.com/i-love-me-shirts.
Visit the auction hosted by WILLBEES here.
