LGBT Black History Month Spotlight:
7 Questions With TIP Project Co-Founder Madelyn Morrison-Summers
In partnership with Philadelphia Black Gay Pride, every day throughout the month of February we will spotlight an influential black mover and shaker in the city.
Madelyn Morrison-Summers (center) out-reaching at OutFest with Chasity Moore and GALAEI Executive Director Elicia Gonzales.
Today: Madelyn Morrison-Summers, who has dedicated over 10 years of her life working to provide visibility, advocacy and services to trans women in the city of Philadelphia. She is one of the visionaries behind GALAEI‘s TIP (Trans Information Project), a program dedicated to the empowerment and betterment of trans and gender non-conforming individuals in the tri-state area.
What’s your Philly connection?
I was born right here in Philadelphia, at Pennsylvania Hospital on February 4th … I’m much older now. That’s all I’m saying.
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a journalist. I had an obsession with reading newspapers at a very young age. Then at 4, I learned to read them right side up.
Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
Dreams. As long as I dream of a humanity that truly loves and cares for one another, I will continue to do the work that I do to move closer to making that dream a reality for all of us.
Finish this sentence: I feel fiercest when …
… I’m angry and under extreme pressure. Like an “animal backed against the wall” sort of thing. I’m ready to tear things apart!
What’s your proudest achievement?
My proudest achievement is who I am today. I made a promise to myself that whatever accomplishments I made in life, I would be the me I knew in my heart, and not who I was born (anatomically.) It’s one of the few things in my life I’m willing to die for.
If you could have a super power what would it be and how would you use it?
The Powers of the Phoenix so I could overthrow the government, heal the land, and resurrect peace. What this world and its inhabitants needs most, next to love, is restoration.
Finish this sentence: In 10 years I …
… will be running a successful organization with on-site shelter, rehabilitation, safe-sex education, medical care, and re-entry services for all people in need. Cheesy, I know, but we need it.
Quote: “We will never know Love if we stay confined to our flesh. We are so much more than we know. We must learn to love beyond our bodies in the evidence of its brilliance.”
