Gloria Allen.Photo: Santiago Felipe/GettyTrans activist Gloria Allen, whose big heart made her a local legend in Chicago, has died. She was 76.The news was shared Monday on the Instagram account forMama Gloria, an award-winning documentary about Allen’s life.“Our beloved Mama G has passed on,” read the post. “We will miss you eternally, Gloria.““There are so many lessons to be found in your time on this Earth,” the post continued. “Through your story, we have found new meaning in the word love. Rest peacefully in love and light, sweet Gloria. You are forever in the hearts of many. ❤️"“It’s only fitting that Mama Gloria Allen’s last day on Earth would be during Pride Month,” Luchina Fisher, the director ofMama Gloria, tells PEOPLE. “She lived as an unapologetically proud Black transgender woman before Stonewall and before the word transgender even existed. And her 76 years on this Earth is proof that Black trans women can live long, meaningful and joyous lives when they have the love and support of their families, as Gloria did.““Being able to share her story with the world was the gift of a lifetime. It brought me such joy to see her get her flowers, to know that she mattered to the world and that her voice will live on through our filmMama Gloria,” adds Fisher. “She touched so many people around the world, and she died being honored and celebrated the way a legend should be.“RELATED VIDEO: Trans Activist Mama Gloria On the Bond She’s Found with Her Neighbors: “I Don’t Have Children But I Got My Family Right Here"Her body was discovered on Monday morning at her apartment in Chicago’s Townhall Apartments, an LGBTQ senior living facility, according to theDallas Voice. The newspaper reported that it is believed she died peacefully in her sleep.Growing up as a transgender girl “was rough in the ’50s and ’60s, but I was tough,” the trans pioneertold PEOPLEin an interview featured in last year’s Pride Issue.It would take several decades (and surviving several abusive relationships) before she found stability and her chosen family at Townhall Apartments.“Mama Gloria has brought so much joy to this building,” neighbor Carolyn Davis, a home health aide, told PEOPLE in 2021. “We thank God for her."(L-R) Carolyn Davis, Gloria Allen, Terry Maddry.Danielle ScruggsNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Allen also created a charm school for gay and transgender kids, many of whom were living on the streets of Chicago, because she “wanted to teach them to be proud.“At the school, she offered “lessons on love, makeup and manners that she received from her mother and grandmother,” according to theDallas Voice. In return, she was given the affectionate nickname “Mama Gloria.“Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via GettyIn addition to being the subject of the documentaryMama Gloria,her life inspired the 2018 playCharm.As she told PEOPLE last year, “We should not be treated differently because of who we love and who we are. That’s what the LGBTQ community teaches you. Stand tall and stand proud. We are always here for each other.”
Gloria Allen.Photo: Santiago Felipe/Getty
Trans activist Gloria Allen, whose big heart made her a local legend in Chicago, has died. She was 76.The news was shared Monday on the Instagram account forMama Gloria, an award-winning documentary about Allen’s life.“Our beloved Mama G has passed on,” read the post. “We will miss you eternally, Gloria.““There are so many lessons to be found in your time on this Earth,” the post continued. “Through your story, we have found new meaning in the word love. Rest peacefully in love and light, sweet Gloria. You are forever in the hearts of many. ❤️"“It’s only fitting that Mama Gloria Allen’s last day on Earth would be during Pride Month,” Luchina Fisher, the director ofMama Gloria, tells PEOPLE. “She lived as an unapologetically proud Black transgender woman before Stonewall and before the word transgender even existed. And her 76 years on this Earth is proof that Black trans women can live long, meaningful and joyous lives when they have the love and support of their families, as Gloria did.““Being able to share her story with the world was the gift of a lifetime. It brought me such joy to see her get her flowers, to know that she mattered to the world and that her voice will live on through our filmMama Gloria,” adds Fisher. “She touched so many people around the world, and she died being honored and celebrated the way a legend should be.“RELATED VIDEO: Trans Activist Mama Gloria On the Bond She’s Found with Her Neighbors: “I Don’t Have Children But I Got My Family Right Here"Her body was discovered on Monday morning at her apartment in Chicago’s Townhall Apartments, an LGBTQ senior living facility, according to theDallas Voice. The newspaper reported that it is believed she died peacefully in her sleep.Growing up as a transgender girl “was rough in the ’50s and ’60s, but I was tough,” the trans pioneertold PEOPLEin an interview featured in last year’s Pride Issue.It would take several decades (and surviving several abusive relationships) before she found stability and her chosen family at Townhall Apartments.“Mama Gloria has brought so much joy to this building,” neighbor Carolyn Davis, a home health aide, told PEOPLE in 2021. “We thank God for her."(L-R) Carolyn Davis, Gloria Allen, Terry Maddry.Danielle ScruggsNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Allen also created a charm school for gay and transgender kids, many of whom were living on the streets of Chicago, because she “wanted to teach them to be proud.“At the school, she offered “lessons on love, makeup and manners that she received from her mother and grandmother,” according to theDallas Voice. In return, she was given the affectionate nickname “Mama Gloria.“Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via GettyIn addition to being the subject of the documentaryMama Gloria,her life inspired the 2018 playCharm.As she told PEOPLE last year, “We should not be treated differently because of who we love and who we are. That’s what the LGBTQ community teaches you. Stand tall and stand proud. We are always here for each other.”
Trans activist Gloria Allen, whose big heart made her a local legend in Chicago, has died. She was 76.
The news was shared Monday on the Instagram account forMama Gloria, an award-winning documentary about Allen’s life.
“Our beloved Mama G has passed on,” read the post. “We will miss you eternally, Gloria.”
“There are so many lessons to be found in your time on this Earth,” the post continued. “Through your story, we have found new meaning in the word love. Rest peacefully in love and light, sweet Gloria. You are forever in the hearts of many. ❤️”
“It’s only fitting that Mama Gloria Allen’s last day on Earth would be during Pride Month,” Luchina Fisher, the director ofMama Gloria, tells PEOPLE. “She lived as an unapologetically proud Black transgender woman before Stonewall and before the word transgender even existed. And her 76 years on this Earth is proof that Black trans women can live long, meaningful and joyous lives when they have the love and support of their families, as Gloria did.““Being able to share her story with the world was the gift of a lifetime. It brought me such joy to see her get her flowers, to know that she mattered to the world and that her voice will live on through our filmMama Gloria,” adds Fisher. “She touched so many people around the world, and she died being honored and celebrated the way a legend should be.”
RELATED VIDEO: Trans Activist Mama Gloria On the Bond She’s Found with Her Neighbors: “I Don’t Have Children But I Got My Family Right Here”
Her body was discovered on Monday morning at her apartment in Chicago’s Townhall Apartments, an LGBTQ senior living facility, according to theDallas Voice. The newspaper reported that it is believed she died peacefully in her sleep.
Growing up as a transgender girl “was rough in the ’50s and ’60s, but I was tough,” the trans pioneertold PEOPLEin an interview featured in last year’s Pride Issue.
It would take several decades (and surviving several abusive relationships) before she found stability and her chosen family at Townhall Apartments.
“Mama Gloria has brought so much joy to this building,” neighbor Carolyn Davis, a home health aide, told PEOPLE in 2021. “We thank God for her.”
(L-R) Carolyn Davis, Gloria Allen, Terry Maddry.Danielle Scruggs
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Allen also created a charm school for gay and transgender kids, many of whom were living on the streets of Chicago, because she “wanted to teach them to be proud.”
At the school, she offered “lessons on love, makeup and manners that she received from her mother and grandmother,” according to theDallas Voice. In return, she was given the affectionate nickname “Mama Gloria.”
Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
In addition to being the subject of the documentaryMama Gloria,her life inspired the 2018 playCharm.
As she told PEOPLE last year, “We should not be treated differently because of who we love and who we are. That’s what the LGBTQ community teaches you. Stand tall and stand proud. We are always here for each other.”
source: people.com
