Dee Dee Chamblee is the founder and executive director of LaGender, Inc, an advocacy organization and resource group for trans women of color. A survivor of HIV, Dee Dee has been a tireless advocate, helping create a safer, healthier world for transgender Atlantans. In 2019, she received the Atlanta Phoenix award from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and became the first Black trans woman invited to the White House, where President Barack Obama named her a Champion of Change for her activism. Dee Dee Chamblee is included in the Out Down South Exhibition at @ctr4chr and is feature in the first episode of the @ATLLGBTQHisProj Out Down South Podcast which can be found at: atlantalgbtqhistoryproject.org. Dee Dee has been on the LGBTQ Institute's Board at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights since its inception in 2015.
Photographer: LaRue Calliet