Kayla Rena Gore actively works toward the day when her services are no longer needed — what she calls her “end game.” As a coordinator of homeless services and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly the rights of Black transgender women, it’s no wonder she longs to be out of work. “Through life experiences, I often found myself in organizing spaces addressing harm and violence at the hands of the state,” she tells GO. These experiences led her to work first with OUTMEMPHIS, then with the Transgender Law Center, where she was a regional organizer. Most recently, she co-founded My Sistah’s House, an organization that provides emergency housing for trans and queer people of color in need. The organization also offers other services to trans individuals, aiding them in their quest to legally change their names, obtain hormone replacement therapy, and gender-affirming surgery.” In addition to aiding people who are transitioning or who are experiencing homelessness, she provides trans-inclusivity training for community-based organizations, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations. She also advocates for the rights of transgender people in their dealings with law enforcement. Gore tells GO that the most rewarding part of her work “has been seeing the elevation of the lives of people just like me.”—NT
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