Chastity Bowick (born 1985) is an American
transgender
A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth.
The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
health advocate and social justice activist based in Massachusetts. She is known for her work supporting low-income and homeless transgender individuals as the former Executive Director of the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts. Bowick has also founded a consulting firm, where she provides training to organizations on working with transgender and non-binary communities.
Bowick is a Black transgender woman who uses
she/her pronouns.
Early life
Born and raised in
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, Bowick began her
transition at 17 after moving to
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
to seek a safer environment for her gender affirmation process. She has spoken about her early challenges, including experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and engaging in
survival sex work.
Career and activism
From 2015 to 2023, Bowick led the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing support services to low-income and homeless transgender individuals, including housing and healthcare assistance.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she started a nutritional program in collaboration with the
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...
and About Fresh to deliver produce boxes to transgender individuals across the state.
Bowick has also been heavily involved in organizing events commemorating
Transgender Day of Remembrance
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually from its inception on November 20 to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. The ...
(TDOR), such as spearheading the City of Boston's 25th Annual TDOR Commemoration in November 2024.
In January 2023, Bowick founded Chastity's Consulting & Talent Group, LLC (CCTG), which provides guidance to organizations on supporting transgender communities. CCTG aims to promote equal protections and improve quality of life for these communities.
Bowick also currently serves as the Community Engagement Director at
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...
's CARE Research Center.
Honors and awards
Bowick has received a number of awards for her contributions to advocacy and health support for the transgender community, including:
* TDOV Activist and Visibility Award from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth (2024)
* Massachusetts LGBTQ+ Leader from MassLive (2023)
* LGBTQIA+ Champion Award from the AdClub Equity Project (2022)
* Lavender Rhino Award by
The History Project (2020)
* Advancing Equity Award from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth (2018)
See also
*
LGBT rights in Massachusetts
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the United States, U.S. state of Massachusetts enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. The U.S. state of Massachusetts is one of the most LGBTQ-supportive states in the country. ...
*
Transgender rights movement
The transgender rights movement is a movement to promote the legal status of transgender people and to eliminate discrimination and violence against transgender people regarding housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health c ...
*
Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Massachusetts since May 17, 2004, as a result of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruling in '' Goodridge v. Department of Public Health'' that it was unconstitutional under the Co ...
*
List of LGBT rights organizations
This is a list of LGBTQ rights organizations around the world. For social and support groups or organizations affiliated with mainstream religious organizations, please see ''List of LGBT-related organizations and conferences''. For organization ...
References
American LGBTQ rights activists
American women activists
Activists from Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowick, Chastity
1985 births
Living people
American sex worker activists
American homelessness activists
Transgender rights activists
Activists from New York (state)
Nonprofit businesspeople
Community organizing
American transgender women
Black (human racial classification)
African-American LGBTQ people
African-American women activists