A Forever Home

Members of the Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society (GLITS) gathered at Nowadays for yet another People’s Beach Assembly. The series of panel talks aims to center the voices of queer and trans people who for generations have occupied the easternmost end of Jacob Riis Beach, which the city is eyeing for redevelopment. GLITS founder Ceyenne Doroshow implored the fifty or so attendees to “turn this beach into our forever home.” Over the course of four hours, participants ate, drank, and shared ideas in five breakout groups on topics including city politics, environment stewardship, and landmarking. At a pivotal moment, a representative from the Civic Engagement Commission on Participatory Budgeting asked the group to consider what they might do with $5 million of city funds. The event began with what a queer and trans–led process might look like at a particular site and ended with how this same community might exert influence citywide.