Community Informatics Multimedia Archive

Every second Thursday of the month at 6:00pm What’s my T? support group meets to give and share information about transgender issues at Vida/Sida along Paseo Boricua in Chicago.  Community participants are currently planning Vida/SIDA’s second largest event, Paseo Boricua Pageant 2009, which celebrates its third year.  The only goal for the event is to be bigger and better, for participants the pageant is an opportunity to represent Chicago’s thriving Puerto Rican/Latina/o community as role models and speak on issues affecting the community at large.  The underling theme for the pageant and every program organized by Vida/SIDA is to create community involvement for the center.

By collaboratively searching for information and sharing with each other, What’s my T? participants have found legal, medical, and social support.  The critical information shared by the group has made life as typical as possible, and drives the community to critically reflect on itself in its attitudes towards LGBTQ persons.  Vida/SIDA relies heavily on community involvement, which serves as its main resource.  Without the active participation from community members and volunteers the center could not effectively tackle the AIDS epidemic spreading among Latina/os and other people of color at alarming rates. Event organizers expect the event to draw 1000 participants, but the success of the event relies heavily on community support through sponsorship; sponsorship aims to expand service and informational resources.

The event has opened the opportunity to work with Vida/SIDA in collaboratively creating informational content for the center’s web site.  This content aims to study how computer technology can be applied to communities and spur involvement while providing desperately needed information.  The challenge of the project is to ensure relevancy to the community and use by the participants.  Eventually, the hope is that participants will learn to develop and use this information to expand the center’s resources and provide a space for community expression–while aiding in the planning and execution of its 3rd annual Paseo Boricua Pageant on June 6, 2009 and future programs.

If you are interested in learning more about Vida/SIDA’s Paseo Boricua Pageant 2009, email vbenitez@illinois.edu.