Sattie Nyachwaya, left, and Feliz Ruiz with Prism Health North Texas
PHNTX holding clothing swap event for transgender community
TAMMYE NASH | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
“Fashion,” fashion photographer Bill Cunningham once said, “is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” And transgender people — especially these days, when they are being targeted from every direction by the forces of hate — need some really strong armor.
Unfortunately, many trans people, especially those who have only recently transitioned, often find themselves forced to go into battle without proper the armor. But Prism Health North Texas is stepping up to help fill that need.
PHNTX is hosting a clothing swap event on Saturday, April 23, from 2-6 p.m. at the agency’s newest offices, located at 4004 Worth St., next to the Baylor Hospital campus just east of downtown Dallas. The event is being held in conjunction with National Transgender HIV Testing Day, and free HIV testing will be available, according to Policy, Advocacy, & Community Engagement Coordinator Sattie Nyachwaya, PHNTX’s policy, advocacy and community engagement coordinator.
“For individuals of trans experience, having nice, gender affirming clothing is a part of you stepping into a new season of you,” Nyachwaya said. “As you are embracing who you are even more, an item of clothing can change everything, it can make you feel better and it can make your life be uplifted. As a community accomplice, PHNTX needs to always be there waiting with resources like for this community as they have been stepped on and overlooked so many times.”
TRANSform Your Closet has “been in the works for about two years now,” Nyachwaya said. “Prism wanted to figure out how, as an organization, we could help the transgender community in addition to our Trans Wellness Clinic. Our clients at the clinic often told us that they needed to find certain kinds of clothes for certain kinds of events. But it can be hard to navigate through thrift shops and resale shops and other organizations.
“So we decided to find a way to help fill that need. The pandemic has delayed things a bit, but we decided to go ahead and have this event once we got into our new space where we have space for something like this.”
Nyachwaya said the event set up to look similar to a thrift store, with clothing arranged based on use, with a section for clothes you would wear for a night out, casual clothes and business and business casual styles.
Basically, she said, it is designed for trans people to trade in clothes they no longer wear for clothes that better fit them now.
“If you bring one item, you take five items home. If you bring in two items, you take 10 items home,” Nyachwaya explained. “But if you don’t have anything to bring to swap, don’t worry. We have an internal closet of donated items that case managers use to provide clothes for those clients who need something immediately. No one will leave empty-handed.”
Nyachwaya said they plan to have food and beverages available for those who attend, as well as a table where visitors can find other resources available to the transgender community, including organizations like Trans Pride Initiative, House of Rebirth and DFW Trans Kids and Families.
There will also be a PHNTX nurse practitioner on hand to talk about what services the organization offers.
“We are primarily an HIV service organization, so we offer preventative care, access to testing and treatment for HIV. But we also have a Trans Wellness Clinic that offers healthcare for transgender people at little to no cost.”
According to research by the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 1.4 million adults in the United States identify as transgender. Transgender women, especially trans women of color, are at high risk of exposure to HIV, the CDC says.
Feliz Ruiz, Behavioral Intervention Services team lead for PHNTX, said, “Preventative HIV care is important for the trans community not only because trans women are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV, but because there is so much stigma around both HIV and the trans community.
“Everyone, no matter how or who they identify as, needs to have access to all forms of healthcare no matter what,” Ruiz continued. “In addition to access, the healthcare setting needs to be a space where they feel comfortable, safe and confident to access the services they need, including hormone therapy, HIV/STI testing, or PrEP. I am excited for this event in hopes that it gives individuals of Trans experience a chance to see what options they have for preventative services, ask all the questions they want to ask, and connect with their community and its allies.” █
For more information, visit PHNTX.org and check the events calendar.
