Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Black trans disabled Chicagoan on long quest for affordable housing
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2020-09-02

This article shared 8769 times since Wed Sep 2, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


When Garnet Williams was set to enter their final year at Columbia College in 2014, they began to experience pain in their lower back. Because of this pain, Williams' life has changed dramatically these past six years—including the need for immediate affordable housing that has, according to them, proved difficult to obtain.

"I did not think anything of it," said Williams of their lower back pain. "I had been told my whole life that fat bodies are supposed to come with a lot of pain. I thought it was normal to constantly hurt. I noticed little things at first."

Williams told this publication that they depended on grocery carts to complete their shopping, and elevators at school, as well as leaning against walls to support their weight, so their lower back pain would subside. They added that eventually they began collapsing on the ground in public places because the pain was too much to bear. This led to Williams buying a rollator walker on Craigslist for $20 so they could be mobile again.

"I had to take public transit to Morton Grove, Illinois, in order to get one wide enough for my body," said Williams. "I named it The Pussy Wagon. I also have invisible disabilities—ADHD, ASD [autism spectrum disorder] and PTSD—that make it hard for me to socialize and connect with others how I would like. Now I had a disability that meant a majority of places where other queers go to socialize are not accessible to me. I became very isolated, depressed and terribly lonely. I gained a lot more weight really quickly because of immobility which paved the way for so many to fat shame my disability. I really hit rock bottom after that."

Williams—who grew up in Canton, Ohio—came to Chicago to study the recording industry at Columbia College Chicago in hopes of being a singer/songwriter and performance artist. While in their senior year of college, they were living with their now ex-roommate in what they describe as an abusive relationship.

A friend came and moved Williams and their cat out of that apartment in the middle of the night. They slept on that friend's couch for a couple of months while they looked for work and a place to live which proved to be vexing for them. Finding an apartment was hard due to their lack of funds.

"Everything is wildly expensive in Chicago," said Williams.

That is when Williams' grandmother stepped in and helped pay for their safe and accessible studio apartment.

"I will always cherish her kindness," said Williams. "She passed away unexpectedly this past June. I can no longer afford to live in my current apartment without her help. As of right now, I have no idea where I am going to go once my lease is up on Oct. 1. The worst case scenario is I will have to move back in with my mother in Canton. Her house does not have a bathroom or bedroom on the first floor which will be awful for me.

"This is why I need affordable, ADA-accessible housing here in Chicago. I want to continue to live here because I have recently started doing drag performing beginning with the drag competition show Mom Jeans at Berlin Nightclub on Sept. 3, 2019. Drag allows me to express myself without limitations. To be loved, appreciated and worshipped on stage when I previously thought that part of my life was over is an indescribable feeling. My career was beginning to take off prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and now that source of income, and my income from working at the front desk of the Old Town School of Folk Music, has dried up."

Williams said it is even more difficult to obtain affordable, ADA-accessible housing in Chicago during this moment. They provided this publication with a screenshot from the Chicago Housing Authority ( CHA ) replying to their public housing application that said there is a 25-year wait-list for the housing they require.

Additionally, Williams reached out to Access Living's Informational and Referral Housing Coordinator Natasha Flowers via email and she sent them the below response on Aug. 24.

"This email is in response to your request seeking affordable accessible emergency housing. Unfortunately, Access Living does not offer or have resources for emergency housing because emergency housing is only accessible through The City of Chicago and specific non for profits that work to address homelessness. I have attached information for SRO units with the YMCA as well as a link to the Single Room Housing Association, they may be able to assist with housing options for you so my recommendation would be to reach out to them and see what assistance they can provide."

Upon researching the YMCA housing options, Williams learned they were only available to men. Williams is looking into the Single Room Housing Association options and said they also contacted Chicago House, Heartland Alliance. Mercy House and tried every apartment listing site and posted on social media about their situation to no avail.

"I have devoted hours every day this entire summer searching for an accessible apartment," said Williams. "I have exhausted every resource I have come across. There are far more disabled people in this city than there is affordable, accessible housing available. I am confused why our city government has allocated money to build a cop academy that we do not need instead of using that money for subsidized housing for the most vulnerable Chicagoans.

"Chicago is saying, 'You are so poor and disabled that you do not deserve to live here.' Black trans disabled people like myself face so many barriers in our everyday lives including affordable housing availability and this is not okay. The thought of being forced out of this city because I have nowhere to live is devastating. It feels like I am being set up to once again grieve the kind of life I could have if only I were not disabled."


This article shared 8769 times since Wed Sep 2, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97
2024-03-22
series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
2024-03-15
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals
2024-03-15
It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece
2024-03-14
Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program
2024-03-14
One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.