Meet Tabytha Gonzalez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tabytha Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tabytha , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience come from the woman in my family. I watched my grandmother raise seven of my siblings alongside myself providing for us in the best way that she knew how under a recession. Making sure home was safe and sustainable with the little that we had at that time.
My resilience comes from my inner strength and my ability to bounce back from every setback that life has given to me. Whether it was substance use, incarceration or homelessness I have survived a recession, HIV epidemic, Covid pandemic, and 14 years of being prison impacted. My resilience comes from having a never- the- less attitude. Never the less these things were not going to stop me from achieving my goals. They may prevent me but never stop me. Thank God. I have been able to be resilient and make it not just a habit form, but a lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have contributed a portion of my life’s journey to the Emmy Nominated, Peabody Award winning HBO documentary, The Stroll.
I am a Human Rights Specialist for the NYC Commissions on Human Rights. I am an award winning international advocate. Published as one of NYC top 100 Power players in Politics NYC. A founding member of the National Trans Visibility March and Trans Equity Coalition NYC which raised 1.8 million dollars in NYC Council discretionary funding for for grassroots organization to have access to funding to build capacity in services to trans new yorkers. I have received a Proclamation from New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul and The New York City Council. A Citation of Merit from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson for my years of work in the non-profit sector. I organized historical Trans Flag Raising ceremony in Bronx NY. I’m an also active in the House & Ballroom scene. A leader in the Haus of Maison Margiela and Lead Advisor of the Margiela Matters Initiative, a group of house members with a community organizing mission, addressing social issues specific to the Black and Latino LGBTQIA+ House and Ballroom community members. I am the co-host of FQ CrazySexyCool. A podcast with 3 intergenerational trans women, having inspiring and discussion on various social, cultural, political and entertaining topics. Inviting audiences to meet with some game changing guest who are from our community in the house and ballroom culture.

I am committed to ensuring that LBGTQIA+ communities have access to health and wellness with dignity and respect. I have turned my life’s tragedies into testimony and triumphs which fuels and informs the care and work I provides for my community. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I created innovative virtual outreach strategies to engage and meet the needs of NYC’s most vulnerable populations, providing access to essential resources for individuals with dual diagnoses of substance use and mental health. I provided a workshop Seeking Safety which has reached over 1500 BIPOC gender diverse individuals.
I’m a public speaker dedicated to social justice, empowerment, and equity for Black and Brown gender diverse communities and has consulted on several projects for health and wellness, capacity building and inclusion for various NYC inter agencies and grassroots community based organizations. My work internationally encompasses TGNC BIPOC individuals across the US and US territories. I am currently looking to collaborate for a memoir of her life’s journey.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The qualities and skills that help me to overcome is my ability to be a critical and consequential thinker, my ability to take risk and acceptance.
My advice to the youth is to not give up, consider all your options so you can make informed decisions for your goals in life. Always remember that there will be those who look to you with shared and adjacent experiences. Understand that intent versus impact may have many different outcomes. Be a student of your experience it will help you to be an amazing leader. Remember that you are loved, you are valued and that your life matters.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

Many people tell me they are inspired by me, by the things I have overcome and they warrant that as success. I am an anomaly that much is true. However if you are inspired by what I have overcome. Imagine what I can achieve with support from my social networks. So the people who have been instrumental to, and my success has been my husband Luis Gonzalez and my chosen family. My work ethic and career has been influenced by these trailblazers Sean Coleman (Chosen father), Dominique, Jackson (sister), Lala Zanell (sister) , Jillian Weiss(sister) and Cecilia Gentili (sister/mentor). They have been instrumental in my ability to grow in this work. Elisa Crespo, Alex Roque, my twin brother Jerome, Antonio Montez, and my co-host continue to push me and encourage me. I understand that knowledge, skills and qualities I have are not solely for personal monetary gain. It’s also the for the purpose in building others up to stand in their power and navigate toward their goals in life. It is my divine right to have gender affirming care, access to economic power and a life that is sustainable.. I’m a former sex worker, cross addicted, 14 years prison impacted, homeless, drug dealer. Now I am a happily married, career driven, educated, hope dealer.
My dream is to travel and share my experience to empower and encourage others. I want to write my books and own my home with my husband so my family can thrive. It was people with access to create opportunities for me to grow and educating myself. I am determined to continue to follow my dream that will inspire others. I will continue to believe in a world of humanity that sees the importance of equality, equity and justice for all of us. A world where we are safe and have the liberty to be ourselves and love who we love. Where we have families, careers and a life sustained. I know I can’t get it done alone. Collectively we can do it together. Are you with me? Let’s bring hope to the next generations of leaders and those pushed to the margins. They crawled so others can walk. They walked so others can run. We fight so others can stand. We will not be erased. Thank you for centering my voice and amplifying hope.

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