The True Self Foundation

Mama Dragons is a global community with members and groups in many countries around the world. We're proud to have a dedicated Puerto Rico regional group where their Mama Dragons are making meaningful connections and amplifying voices across the island. Today In the Den, Sara talks with Miguel Vasquez, executive director of The True Self Foundation, an LGBTQ+ organization that is a beacon of hope and authenticity for queer folks in Puerto Rico. In this episode, Miguel shares the origins of True Self Foundation, how it grew into what it is today, and the ways they’re shaping a more inclusive and affirming society—from grassroots support to island-wide outreach. 

Special Guest: Miguel Vasquez

Dr. Miguel Vázquez-Rivera holds a Master's Degree in Research in Clinical Psychology (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and a Master's and a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology (Carlos Albizu University). He has researched topics such as sexual and gender diversity and problematic substance use. He has presented his research in Puerto Rico, the United States, Mexico, Spain, The Bahamas, Colombia, South Africa and Peru. He has published social responsibility articles on various topics in psychology and is editor of Problematic Drug Use: Foundations, Intervention, Diversity, is the lead editor of the book Trans, Queer and Non-Binary Communities: Presence and Resistance, a textbook co-written with the community, and lead editor in LGBT 101: An introductory look at the community, first textbook for LGBT communities in Puerto Rico.  Also, he is the author of the therapeutic manual Salud LGBT+: A therapeutic manual for working with communities. He is the co-founder of Psicoalternativas, is co-founder and Executive Director of True Self Foundation and co-founder of Mente Serena, a digital platform to make mental health services more accessible. Throughout his career he has received awards such as: Graduate of the Year 2015 from Carlos Albizu University and Psychologist of the Year 2015 and Outstanding Professional in Public Policy and Public Service 2020, from the Puerto Rico Association of Psychology.

Links from the Show:

• Find the True Self Foundation’s website here: https://www.trueselffoundation.org/ 
• Shop for True Self Foundation gear: https://true-self-foundation-store.printify.me/ 
• Donate to the True Self Foundation here: https://www.trueselffoundation.org/donar/ 
• Join Mama Dragons today: www.mamadragons.org

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at www.mamadragons.org.  

Transcript

SARA: Hi everyone. Welcome to In the Den with Mama Dragons. A podcast and community to support, educate, and empower parents on the journey of raising happy and healthy LGBTQ+ humans. I’m your host, Sara LaWall. I’m a Mama Dragon myself and an advocate for our queer community. And I’m so glad to be part of this wild and wonderful parenting journey with all of you. Thanks for joining us. We’re so glad you’re here. 

Hello, Mama Dragons. Today we’re thrilled to welcome a truly inspiring guest all the way from Puerto Rico: Miguel Vasquez. Miguel is the passionate leader behind the True Self Foundation located in Puerto Rico. As many of you probably know, Mama Dragons is a global community with members and groups in many countries around the world. We're proud to have a dedicated Puerto Rico regional group where Mama Dragons are making meaningful connections and amplifying voices across the island. You can connect with them on our Mighty Network platform. Recently, one of our Puerto Rico Mama Dragons shared her deep admiration for True Self Foundation, as a beacon of hope and authenticity for LGBTQ+ folks in Puerto Rico.

In this episode, Miguel and I will talk about the origins of the True Self Foundation, how it grew into what it is today, and how they are shaping a more inclusive and more affirming world. Miguel, Welcome to In the Den! It is so good to have you with us. 

MIGUEL: Thank you for the invitation. I’m so honored to be in this space. 

SARA: So I think I’d like to start with your story to kind of set the stage for folks since we’re transporting ourselves all the way to Puerto Rico. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to this work with True Self Foundation?

MIGUEL: Well, Thank you for that question. I am a legal psychologist, first of all, that started working with the LGBTQ+ community since I was studying my bachelor’s in psychology. So being a queer guy, I’m gay – I’m cisgender but I’m gay so I’m part of the community – and then started delving into work on homophobia and how to take care and eradicate prejudice and discrimination. So my early works were in research and community work. And then I started working with non-profits and that world changed my life. And after graduating from my psychology, my doctorate, I opened my clinic. And then I received, the first year, one trans man that was around the years of 19 years old, I think, by that time. This was 2013. So after that, we started doing individual therapy and then one brought another. And then the word-of-mouth grew and then I developed the first support group for trans men in the island. So that was very refreshing. I remember, for example, the youngest was 19, and the oldest was 33 or 36. And the youngest said, in the first session – so you can imagine the passion that I felt after this – he said, “I’ve never been in a room with so many people like myself.” And the 36 year old said, “I’ve been waiting for this support group for 10 years.” So I grabbed my chair and grabbed everything not to emotionally cry or something which wouldn’t be inappropriate. And then I decided that this was going to be my life's work. So after doing that support group which was super great and very fulfilling for, I think, all of the people that were there. I still have my clinic open. It’s called Psicoalternativas. But then my neighbor said, “What’s next for you? What do you want to do?” And I said, “Puerto Rico needs a foundation. We don’t have nonprofits that are dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community because here in Puerto Rico, most of the nonprofits that serviced our communities were HIV related. So either you had to be HIV or you had to be at risk of HIV, which a lot of people applied but then they had more psychological services and more physician services, but not social services. So then I opened the foundation with that in mind. And then, at the same time, I was coordinating a group, a psychology LGBTQ+ group, of other professionals in the area. And that was a part of an association. And I wanted to open a surgery fund for the trans community. And then they said I was the coordinator of that group. And the president of the association told us that that had nothing to do with psychology and it was a no. So after that no, and my neighbor asking me what’s next, that developed into True Self Foundation. That was started on 2017. 

SARA: Wow. That is a beautiful story of really filling what was clearly a need in the community. Tell us a little bit, now, about some of the programs and services that you offer to the community. 

MIGUEL: Well, our mission is to promote the social mobility and general well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. So what we want to do is we have two streets, the street of cisgender and heterosexual people and the street of LGBTQ+ people. And we see that the more complicated street, the more difficult, more rocks, more difficult things to have in the street is the LGBTQ+ street. So we want to clean up that street. We want to make it easier for people to move on in life and be successful on however they define success, right? So that’s what we want to do. And we have five pillars for that. We have education, we have work, we have research, we have health, and emergency response. So we started in the health pillar with the surgery fund called Be Free. We hand out five funds of $3,000 for trans men, women, or nonbinary people that want affirmative surgeries. So that’s given every year. Then we have an exchange program for binders for trans men. But we give out, also, tucking underwear for trans women in the exchange program as well. We have the Embrace Program which is legal name changes for free. And we have – this year we opened because of what’s going on – the Queer Joy Fund which is we opened a fund of $10,000 for small projects that, based on developing community, healthy recreation, and sanación which is called healing. So different programs that leaders of the community want to actually develop by themselves, we fund those initiatives. 

SARA: That’s amazing. 

MIGUEL: That’s in the health part. 

SARA: That’s just health? 

MIGUEL: That’s just health, yeah. So in education we have scholarship funds. We give out $20,000 a year for scholarships to study whatever they want. It can be a class, it can be a course, it can be a certification, it can be a bachelor’s, a master’s, a doctorate, whatever they want. And we pay for the semester. And we do August and January, of course. We have Camp for Respect which is one of the greatest programs that we have. And this is my perspective, right, but some of the Mama Dragons have come to the foundation because of the Camp for Respect. It’s a youth camp from 14 to 21. And it’s based on empowerment. It’s based on knowledge, on health, on substances, on sexuality, on history of our communities and activism, and entrepreneurship. So they meet every day for the first part of the day, it’s a six day camp – it’s not in summer, it’s actually in January – so it’s a six-day camp, first five days from 9:00 to 12:00 they have seminars and they have interactive skill trainings and all that. And then, at the afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00, they meet with an LGBTQ+ mentor in groups. And they have to develop a proposal for a community project. And the sixth day, we say it’s the achievement day. And they present that proposal to the community. And it’s so beautiful to see. You see the kids actually in the first day that were on their phones, very retracted and not talking to anyone. And then on the sixth day, they’re super loving and together. And, yeah, of course, we give out the seminars and the knowledge that we hand out. And the skills that we give are amazing. But the most amazing thing is how they build community there. And that, for me, is the camp that I didn’t have, for example. So it’s one of the things that I really, really like because I think it’s a pay-it-forward type of situation. 

SARA: That sounds amazing. 

MIGUEL: Yeah. Thank you. In education, we have Transforming the Community which is a one-day seminar for the trans community. And it’s done by them, for them. So they decide on the topics. They decide on how the topic is going to be given out, if it’s going to be a panel or a talk or whatever model that they decide. And at the end, we have a dinner with a social networking hour. And a beautiful event that actually recognizes the trans leaders and trans organizations in Puerto Rico. We’ve had leaders and organizations that have said in the podium that this is the first recognition that they’ve had in their whole lives. So it’s a way of us giving back and actually putting the trans community in the forefront of the initiative. It has been amazing to see. And a lot of leaders have come out of it as well that get inspired and actually want to contribute to the community. 

SARA: Wow. That is so much. 

MIGUEL: I still have to go for the work and the research and the emergency response. Do you want me to go into that? 

SARA: Let’s get there. Let’s just hold on for a minute and let all of that digest because it is so rare to talk with folks doing nonprofit work and serving the community with just so much possibility for so many different spaces of need in the LGBTQ+ community. But, as we’re talking, Miguel, I am curious, because I’m sure you all are watching all that is happening here in the greater continental US and we have this government now that is really marginalizing, oppressing, attacking the queer community. And I’m curious how that is playing out in Puerto Rico and how the political landscape is similar or different in your context. 

MIGUEL: Well, I would say it’s completely the same in a sense. The distance from the continental US is something that we are appreciating even more now because I think the social heated environment that is felt in the states – when I’ve gone to visit and to work over there, I feel it. We don’t get that, necessarily now here. But then again, our government is the same. It’s republican as well. It is very religious based. And when I say religious, I mean – how to say this – fundamentalists. So we get a lot of people that are copycatting the proposals for law projects over there. So we’re getting the same projects against inclusive bathrooms for example, trans women in sports. We get those same laws here or projects. This January has been a struggle to be LGBTQ+ here in our islands. So it’s difficult as a leader and part of the leaders that work in the community here. It has been very exhausting to have to go to the news and complain and resist and type up a promotion for the House of Representatives or the Senate or whomever is trying to pass a law. And, in the end, in the work that we do, that is what we really, really want to do and care for is the work of the foundation, sometimes it’s difficult to balance that activism versus what we want to do and the projects that we have that we know people need. 

SARA: Yeah. I’m sure that’s a bigger struggle for folks these days. We heard so much that you do to serve all kinds of different facets of the community and things you haven’t even mentioned yet. I’m curious how you decide what to take on. Is there a process that you all use, or what are you looking at to determine where there is significant need that the foundation could support? 

MIGUEL: So Puerto Rico, it’s a place that there’s a lot of need. And there are few players actually tackling those needs. We are the only foundation that is specific for the LGBTQ+ community. We have another nonprofit that does LGBT, but mainly elders. So we focus a lot more on youth. And that’s a big avenue and a lot of needs that we see and have. So what we do to have really good ears on the ground, since I’m 43 I’m not a youth anymore – even though sometimes I think I am – So I have a board of directors that actually has young people there and people from the community as well. And I have a community advisory board that actually has young people as well from the camps, actually. So that way, I really get a sense of how programs are perceived or if a program is not meeting all of the needs that the people have, how to really change it to make it a more impactful initiative. So that’s one of the ways. The other, I’m surrounded by a lot of people, for example psychologists, in a very safe space, hear what the community needs and I’m fed all of those things. And with the board and advisory committee, we develop our programs. 

SARA: That’s lovely and it also feels like a powerful position, but perhaps also one that feels particularly important and maybe even a lot of responsibility to be the only organization that supports the full spectrum of queer identity and the queer community. 

MIGUEL: Yeah. It is. It is. I try not to think about it that much. But mostly, our struggle is about how to balance and just find the necessary resources to do the work. Because we are a foundation that has services, also has funds. So we want to be a pass-through, also, foundation that gives moneys to organizations that are more community based. But are also doing the work in a grass-root way. So we’re not alone in that way. And we want to actually have enough resources, be it money, be it knowledge, be it other things to give out to communities and for them to actually flourish and have the necessary resources themselves to work within their own communities. 

SARA: That’s amazing. I read about one funding program in particular that supports entrepreneurship and queer-led businesses. But that there’s quite an opportunity to win a $200,000 prize in that program. Tell us a little bit more about that. 

MIGUEL: So, before starting the foundation, I delved into entrepreneurship. I have the clinic and I have something called, Mente Sarena which is a platform, a startup, for psychologists. So I’ve gone through all those entrepreneurship programs in Puerto Rico. And I saw that there wasn’t enough queer presentation there. So after going through, myself, those programs and then having True Self with the connections that I did and those programs, I started collaborative agreement with Guayacản. With Guayacản we have our True Self Entrepreneurship Initiative. So Guayacản is an educational entrepreneurship program that every year has around 30 companies that go through their educational program and then compete with pitches and judges and judging sessions for different prizes. So there wasn’t ever, until we came in, a prize for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. There were women entrepreneurs. There were environmentalist entrepreneurs. There were a couple of different topics and communities there represented, but not the queer community. So I said to Louda Contera, which is the executive director, “So how are we going to give a prize for a company and can we reserve some seats for the LGBTQ+ community there?” And she said, “Of course.” We trained the staff. We did the agreement in a way that not only were we serving spaces for the queer community but also we are teaching the DEI efforts in a seminar there as well. So the whole 30 companies are getting something out of this agreement as well in terms of how to make their company values be part of diversity, equity, and inclusion. So one of the three companies that are queer, compete for a prize of $5,000 which is the one that we give out. But then, depending on what their company’s about, they can go to the women’s prize, or the environmentalist, or the technology prize. So they have a couple of more and they reach, they can achieve $200,000. So it’s very exciting. 

SARA: That is very exciting. Can you tell us a story of a particular business that came through this program that you’re excited about? 

MIGUEL: So this is the third year that’s going on right now. Actually, they’re starting the educational program now. But the first year, the winner was LaVANda Holistic. LaVANda Holistic Clinic is a van that actually has national interventions such as acupuncture, massages. It has naturopathic interventions and a couple more that I forget right now. So it goes wherever you’re at. Even if you’re at the office, or at home. And it parks and it treats you, and gives you the treatment that you need. So LaVANda Holistic is run by two amazing women that are lesbians. And they won. And after that, they won almost the prizes went up to $70,000 I think it was the total amount. So that, they used to buy another van and increase their spread and how they can obtain more clients. So it was very meaningful for them. And they also – they interviewed with me – they learned on how to be more queer representing even though they were proud themselves, for example, how to search for employees that are queer or do a safe space for everyone that is there. So it was, I think, very meaningful for them and us too that they won. 

SARA: That’s such a wonderful idea. And it also sounds like it’s flexible enough to meet individuals, but companies could bring the van out for their employees or schools or lots of opportunities to meet larger communities where they’re at. 

MIGUEL: The biggest clients are corporate clients that they do their wellness day, for example, and they bring in LaVANda Clinic for a day to service their employees. So it’s very cool. 

SARA: That’s beautiful. There’s so many spaces that you reach. And I’m thinking about our Mama Dragons community being mostly parents of queer kids of any age. And given how you started in the clinical space, but all of the different spaces of the LGBTQ+ community you serve, what advice or words might you have for parents who are just beginning the journey of understanding and affirming their LGBTQ+ child? 

MIGUEL: I believe that the first thing to do, instead of worrying to understand everything, just be there and listen. I think as parents, or as people that are outside of the LGBTQ+ community, we don’t have the same experiences. And that’s okay. So one of the biggest mistakes is to try to understand it all as it was your experience. And that’s not necessarily needed, even though knowledge and education is super important. But the first thing is just to listen and let your queer kid guide you. Even though in that relationship of parents and children, it might feel uneasy, that guidance of your queer kid will be life changing. Letting yourself be guided by your kid, I think that would be the greatest thing you can ever do. 

SARA: That’s wonderful advice. I think, for any parent and parents of kids at any age, to remind ourselves that we can come back to that advice at any point in our parenting journey. 

MIGUEL: Yeah. And also, even though times are scary right now, and even though the type of hostile environment that we are living in makes a lot of professionals hide a little, we still are there and through – for example, platforms like Mama Dragon or other platforms – you can find the necessary tools in professionals that are equipped for them for this type of things. And I think reaching out to spaces like Mama Dragons, spaces that make you feel that you’re not alone, because that’s one of the first queer experiences, right, feeling alone, that you are in a huge sea and no one’s there, just you. That’s usually not the case. So reaching out is super important as well. 

SARA: I think you’ve particularly in these times, as you’ve mentioned, when folks maybe are feeling like they are pulling back, maybe feeling like they have to hide a little bit more or quiet themselves a little bit more – I notice in our Mama Dragons community, the informal conversations we have with each other in our regional groups about where are places our kids can apply for jobs – just little things like that and being in spaces where I imagine the same is true at True Self, where you get to offer space for the community to come together and connect, but also resource share which I feel like, in these days, more of that is happening in those spaces than in perhaps the more public spaces as the public spaces are being quieted, shut down by the government, corporations, institutions are afraid to be really public. Talk a little bit about how are you noticing all of that playing out in the different programs and groups at True Self?

MIGUEL: So recently, we had our fund-raising event, the biggest, and the one that actually maintains True Self Alive. It’s a fund-raising event but at the same time is queer empowerment and a pride event. So it’s called the All Out 5K. It’s an actual race and entertainment afterwards. It’s a whole weekend, actually since last year – and we made it again a whole weekend – for people to come to Puerto Rico and just have fun in a family environment. So we have a kick-off party the first day, the second day which is the race, and the entertainment, and then the other day is a pool day to just relax, have fun, and just release all of that energy. So that fund-raising event, even though things are tough right now and even though Trump’s politics are bullying companies into hiding, we managed to acquire our goal, our fundraising goal of sponsorships by 110%. So we surpassed at 10%. 

SARA: Wow.

MIGUEL: And we had 45 sponsors. That was 10 more than last year. So it was a very difficult task and we had a lot of help to actually obtain all those sponsors. Because I knew since January that this would be a titanic effort. But then again, we did it. And this is more, not just a pat on the back for us, it is more of a hope type of story even though things seem very bad and hopeless, they still are there. And we found that some companies doubled down their efforts to help us and some others ghosted us. Some others said, “No.” But then again, we saw new companies that were sponsoring. We saw the doubling down, the tripling down. We had a company that usually they gave us $1,000 each year. This time they gave us $10,000. And we see that things are different but not necessarily hopeless. That, for me, is a good story this year. 

SARA: That is hopeful, I think, also to just recognize that there are companies and organizations and institutions that want to support this effort and are willing to be public about it. And the fact that you got even more than in years past is very encouraging. So that is a very hopeful story. And congratulations. That is a huge effort and I’m delighted to hear that. When I hear that in all of our spaces around Pride, we heard it in New York City with major corporations pulling out of New York City Pride and that just feels devastating. But then others step in in really meaningful ways. And where else are you seeing cool glimmers of hope, fueled by a little resistance to what’s happening? 

MIGUEL: Well, I have to say that our small support group here of some Mama Dragons and some are yet to be Mama Dragons, but we have a small support group that we do here in True Self. This is specifically for parents that are parenting trans kids. So it’s all mothers. So it’s 12 mothers that we have. And it’s, for me that I’m the facilitator, it’s so refreshing because we see the development of them being allies and them being supportive. But more than that, the community that they’re building that is something that is difficult to quantify because people that are scared, not wanting to be the center of attention of this negative media and this prejudice and discrimination specifically for parents of trans kids, stepping out of their comfort zone and representing them and their families in, for example, in meetings with the Secretary of Health, Puerto Rico, doing a panel with other nonprofits around awareness of their families and transitions and their journeys, and being the voice of the kids to protect them. So that, for me, has been the cherry of this year so far. And I’m sure it’s going to continue to be because they continue to amaze me every time. So a shout out to Yanira Vega which is the Mama Dragon that championed here, and leader here in Puerto Rico. She has been amazing and she has been part of the initiative to get more Mamas into the Mama Dragons. So it has been super cool and Mama Dragons has been a great addition to what we’re doing here. 

SARA: I love that. I will just echo that and say that since the election – even for me, who my life is very much surrounded by very supportive, progressive spaces and people – but starting and facilitating a parent group because I’m the parent of a trans kiddo, too, has been a lifeline. It has just brought me so much heartfelt connection that I didn’t realize I needed. And I’m watching that for all of us. And we have a little signal chat now. And so it’s just been a really beautiful thing. And I’m so delighted to know that that exists in other places for people because it can feel like we’re just getting beaten down all the time. 

MIGUEL: Right.

SARA: And then to be together, somehow alleviates that feeling. 

MIGUEL: And, you know, our Pride this year was specifically meaningful because when we started the foundation we marched, like five people, ten people that we were in the board of directors that was all volunteer and it was a very small event. But last year, we started actually inviting people to march with us. We had 100 people marching with us. But this year, we had 150 people. So I think this is a testament of people actually going back to the community, having relationships, and tying knots with people. And I think that’s where our support is in the community. And that’s how we are powerful. I think we’re bigger when we’re united. And I see that happening, really tangible. And so I am hopeful. I’m so hopeful. 

SARA: And when you look to the future, particularly in Puerto Rico for the future of LGBTQ+ community and inclusion, what are your hopes for the future?

MIGUEL: My hopes for the future, my tactic and tool is education mostly. I’m not an activist at heart even though I do some activism. But education, I think, is the best tool for us to combat ignorance and to combat hate. And I really believe it’s working. It has worked when it has been actually done. So for that, we need representation in government. We need more of our people in the right places. And I think we’re starting to do that. We are a committee that was not that well organized before and now we have an LGBTQ+ Federation. We have, for example, the Pride events are all very organized and people talk to each other as leaders. And that, I think, was part of the necessity that brought all the political environment that is now. The necessity was really to build up more of the community. And for the future, I think that’s a lesson learned not to divide ourselves anymore, not to disintegrate that communication anymore, and just keep at it. And I think consistency and I think transparency has been one of the things that we’ve done well. And I think when we’re in this place where we’re at, I think there’s only up. So I know it’s going to be for the better at some point. It’s going to change. It’s going to shift. 

SARA: And I’m wondering if you’re noticing, it has felt like to me, particularly in the nonprofit world, there is a lot of implicit competition or competition even among queer-led organizations. We’re set up like that. We’re acculturated to that. And I’m curious if you are noticing a shift, if that is kind of flattening and the community piece is coming together where we are actually working together, we’re not in competition. 

MIGUEL: For sure. I think when that is more needed is now. And it’s needed and it’s been done at True Self since the beginnings, it started with collaborations. We had no money to start this foundation. So our roots are we’re volunteer work, and we’re allyship, and we’re collaborative agreements and relationships. So we’ve continued to do so. And I think this younger generations know how to collaborate and know how to actually do the work. Our leaderships have changed to the better and to collaborate and just unite. 

SARA: And hold each other up. 

MIGUEL: Right. 

SARA: And support each other. I’m glad to hear that because I’m noticing that shift a little bit more. So I’m curious, how do you get your funding and how can people support the great work that you’re doing? 

MIGUEL: Well, we have an issue with being in Puerto Rico. So the international community sees us as part of the US. And the US, not all the time sees us as part of the US. So we are in a complicated situation to get grant dollars to our foundation. So, knowing that, but still not neglecting the part. We’re still actually writing as much as we can. We are 72% of our budget is donations and sponsorships. So that gives us the flexibility of actually creating our work, having funds that are not necessarily understanded by a lot of funders. Like, for example, our surgery fund, Be Free Fund. Not many of our funders understand the importance of a surgery fund or scholarships for that matter. So that gives us flexibility to actually do so. So people that want to support us donate whatever they can. And every amount is good. And also participating in our events. We have our All Out Weekend which is in June, the last weekend of June. It has events from Friday to Sunday for the whole family. And it’s a very cool weekend to be in Puerto Rico. So that’s one of the things that we do. And we always have host hotels for people to come in. We have people from Columbia, Spain, and the US come this year. So we’re very happy. It had 1,725 runners. And 16,000 attendees. So it’s a big event in a super cool environment in District T-Mobile. So it’s very cool. We have drag shows for the whole family. We have live music. We have different Emcees, DJs. It’s super cool. And the other is that we have on November 8th, the Prom, LGBTQ+ Prom. So we’re doing a night to relive your prom experience, even going by the way you identify or going with the person that you wanted to go with in the first place. So it’s very cool. It's a very memorable, and fun and very community oriented night. 

SARA: So that Prom is open to anyone?

MIGUEL: To anyone, yes. And it’s your typical prom. So you go, and we had a corsage, you have an entrance. You have people taking pictures. You go with all the sequins and as bright and as beautiful that you want to go. We have different photo opportunities around the venue. It’s sponsored by Marriott. So it’s in a Marriott hotel. We have live music, DJ, Drag performances, dinner, it’s super cool. 

SARA: Oh, that sounds so fun. I’m so glad you mentioned that. I was reading about that on your website and that just sounds so delightful. So a fund raiser but also an experience for anyone who wants to come and have a prom. 

MIGUEL: And a strategy, how can we do events that fundraise, but at the same time is something that fills a gap for the community. 

SARA: And I also wanted to mention, because we didn’t get to talk about a couple of your smaller funds and I know you have a particular focus around responding, like giving direct support to the community in a couple of your funds. Would you share about your emergency response fund, for example? 

MIGUEL: Yes. Of course. So we started out when Maria hurricane came. So that was devastating in Puerto Rico as I think the world knows. And we were a very small foundation. And we didn’t have the knowledge, the know-how, or the skills to actually do something about it. So we couldn’t. And we watched. And we learned. So when COVID came and then hurricane Fiona and we had a [inaudible] in the south side of Puerto Rico. So we began reformulating how we wanted to help. So we learned from Maria that FEMA funds were not reaching the queer community because of their identities, discrimination, all of that. People got lost in the paperwork or they had difficulty reaching the places you that could fill out in-person forms. So we started acquiring funds to give out cash for the community. So, since we are flexible and we have fund raising, we could hand out, for example, $500 in cash to people through PayPal and through a cash app that we have locally so that people could respond to difficulty at the time that was needed. And that was super important for us because we knew that people, especially in COVID, had nothing in their kitchen to eat. So government aid was coming because of the tax returns, people that fill out their taxes. But what about people that work from their home or work in subterraneous economies? They had nothing. So we reached out to them and we handed out that cash for people to survive at that moment. We also have a community leadership initiative for people that do not have internet in those moments. We have community leaders from different points of Puerto Rico that go to their home to check how they are and actually give out their checks for them the cash out. So we have very, I think, a quick and effective method of responding to emergencies. And since we’re in Puerto Rico we’re in the middle of everything that happens and we need to respond quickly. And I think that has been very effective for our communities.

SARA: That’s extraordinary. And it sounds like it’s as low-barrier as it can possibly be for people to be able to access it. And I love what you’re describing. I mean, the whole organization is this beautiful, integrated web of big, high-fund events, and the direct to the community support even with those who don’t have WIFI, don’t have access. You’ve got on-the-ground folks building relationships and those connections. And it just sounds like you’ve created this web that gets at as many of the corners of need and support in the queer community. It’s so beautiful. I’m so delighted to learn all about this and be able to share all of your work with our community. It’s a great model, I think, for so many of us about what’s possible. 

MIGUEL: Thank you. 

SARA: We have final questions that we like to ask all of our guests at the end of every episode. And so the first question has to do with the Mama Dragons name. And Mama Dragons name came out of this sense of fierceness and fierce protection of our queer kids. So we like to ask our guests, besides what we’ve just spent the hour talking about, what is it you are fierce about? 

MIGUEL: I think I am fierce about my work. Passion drives me. And if I’m working in something that’s not passion driven, it’s not what I want to do. So, True Self is mainly that and that’s why sometimes it doesn’t even feel that’s work. For sure my fierceness is in the work that I do and the people that I support. 

SARA: That’s fantastic. And you can tell. It shows, Miguel. It really shows in all that you are doing and in the enthusiastic way in which you are sharing about all of this amazing work. The last question we have for you is, what is bringing you joy right now, as a reminder to all of us that in these moments in particular, we need to cultivate as much joy as possible. So where are you finding joy? 

MIGUEL: Well, I find joy in my family, the biological one and the chosen one. Connecting with friends, that always grounds me and brings me joy. The other day, the second psychologist that works with me in my clinic when we were very small, I trained her to be an affirmative therapist. And then she, after a couple of years, she left and built her own clinic. And she now trains other clinicians as well. So she sent me a message about how happy she was she got to know me and working with me and she admired me. And even though that was very difficult to hear, difficult to hear those words, I’m very humbled about it. But, yeah, difficult. Having this mulitplicating effect around your work and seeing that happening and knowing that that is going to be probably the answer of me as a leader and other leaders of how this is going to change at some point. The pay-it-forward type of mentality, seeing it for the first time, or noticing it for the first time has been very joyful. 

SARA: That’s beautiful. And it’s a representation of all of the work that you’re doing and that True Self is doing. I really have noticed and am experiencing this ripple effect. You’re just in so many places, but that work is spreading and spreading out in so many different and unique and wonderful ways. Thank you so much for this conversation. Thank you for sharing the work of the True Self Foundation with us. And I can’t stop thinking about your All Out 5K in June. I’m thinking what a wonderful Pride vacation.

MIGUEL: Right. Right. I think so. Yes.

SARA: For families, friends, you might consider. I might consider taking your family to Puerto Rico for an amazing weekend Pride event that sounds delightful. 

MIGUEL: In meeting the local Mama Dragons we can do an event for us. 

SARA: Oh, that would be lovely. Miguel, Thank you so much for your time. This has been a wonderful conversation. 

MIGUEL: Thank you so much. 

SARA: Thank you so much for joining us here In the Den. Did you know that Mama Dragons offers an eLearning program called Parachute? This is an interactive learning platform where you can learn more about how to affirm, support, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ people in your life. Learn more at mamadragons.org/parachute. Or find the link in the episode show notes under links. 

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