BLACK HISTORY MONTH
A Trans Leader Becomes the Role Model He Never Had
Destination Tomorrow’s Sean Coleman explains how he rose to lead Bronx non-profi t
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Sean Coleman, the founder
of Destination Tomorrow
in the Bronx, just wanted
to be the representation
he did not have growing up.
The 52-year-old Bronx-based
non-profi t leader launched Destination
Tomorrow more than a
decade ago, and it has since blossomed
into one of the only LGBTQinclusive
spaces for Black and
Brown people in a borough that
has not been known as a bastion of
tolerance or visibility for the queer
community.
His journey to the top of that organization,
however, did not come
with ease. A native of the Bedford-
Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn,
Coleman gives credit to his late
grandmother — who owned two
buildings in that borough — for instilling
the importance of economic
justice. Beyond her, however, he
lacked the role models he needed
in a society that has long failed to
give Black trans men suffi cient visibility.
“As a Black trans man fi nding
my way, I didn’t see spaces that
were accommodating or comfortable,”
Coleman explained. “I didn’t
hear language that was being used
that I can identify with.”
He added, “I didn’t fi t into somebody
else’s model or image.”
Coleman went on to overcome
the impact of that invisibility and
successfully launched an organization
that has provided clients
with everything from career readiness
training and GED programs
to healthcare services. How he got
there, however, is a key piece of his
story.
In 1997, Coleman fi nally found
a safe haven that would eventually
establish the foundation he needed
to spark a successful career helping
others. It was that year when
he got involved in the ballroom
scene, started walking in shows,
and joined historic House of La-
Beija and the House of Ebony. Today
he remains with the House of
Ebony.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say
Sean Coleman has led Destination Tomorrow since 2009.
Sean Coleman got his start in House of LaBeija. Pepper LaBeija starred in “Paris Is Burning.”
it again: ballroom actually saved
my life,” Coleman said. “It gave me
an opportunity to fi nd kinship. A
whole bunch of other folks that
were misfi ts and that folks had
written off had found each other.”
Coleman said the houses served
as a refuge for food and housing for
trans and queer folks who piled up in
just one room. Those tight quarters
forced everyone to create meaningful
bonds and lean on one another
as they navigated their lives.
DONNA ACETO
AMAZON/PARIS IS BURNING
“It gave me the freedom to kind
of explore my masculinity and
what my masculinity was going to
look like.”
While a member of the House
of LaBeija, he said the late drag
queen Pepper LaBeija, known for
her glamorous fashion and role in
“Paris Is Burning,” offered lasting
lessons. She was adamant about
making sure her children went to
school and familiarized themselves
with some kind of trade.
“’You have to be a whole person’
is what she used to tell us,” Coleman
said. “I appreciated that so
much because some folks did and
still get caught up in ballroom so
much so that their life was not as
productive or signifi cant as it could
be,” he said.
Years later, those experiences
still permeate Coleman’s career —
and he has approached his work
by combining his grandmother’s
wisdom with his own desire to
serve as the role model for younger
generations that he never had.
“I wanted to create what didn’t
exist,” he said. “I wanted to make
sure that folks coming up behind
me had an opportunity to have
those resources without putting
their lives or freedom in jeopardy.”
When he set out to launch Destination
Tomorrow, Coleman was
equipped with life experiences
that informed his own approach
to meeting the needs of the local
queer community. He embarked on
a mission to treat the root causes
of inequality — and behind the
scenes, that work was tedious. He
said it took time to fi nd funders
who wanted to invest in the group
beyond offering MetroCards and
pizza.
“It was never something that was
tangible or something that you can
use,” Coleman said. “I wanted to
create a space where economic empowerment
was the driving force. I
wanted to give folks the tools they
needed to be successful.”
Moving forward, Coleman wants
other Black trans men to see his
story and know that they have the
ability to create their own narrative.
Speaking from his own life
journey, he acknowledged that
ballroom helped him realize that
he could walk into any space and
simply be himself.
“If I can stand on the runway in
a crowd of 500 to 1,000 folks and
be judged by six people on whether
I’m real or passing… I can step in
any space and ask for anything because
there was no fear,” he said.
He added, “Ballroom made me
comfortable enough to be seen as
different but still be impactful.”
February 11 - February 24, 2 14 021 | GayCityNews.com
/GayCityNews.com
