Mama Gloria

Chicago’s Black transgender icon Gloria Allen blazed a trail for trans people like few others before her. Born in 1945, she grew up amid the celebrated Black “sissy” balls on Chicago’s South Side and transitioned after high school with the love and support of the women in her family – her mother Alma, a former showgirl and Jet centerfold who taught her about makeup, and her grandmother Mildred, a seamstress who designed clothes for her. Gloria overcame traumatic violence to become a proud leader in her community. Most famously, she pioneered a charm school for young transgender people that served as inspiration for the hit play Charm. Now in her 70s, Gloria is aging with joy and grace at a time when Black transgender women in America face escalating violence and make up the majority of transgender people killed each year. Luchina Fisher’s directorial debut is not only a portrait of a groundbreaking legend, but also a celebration of unconditional love, the love Gloria received from her own mother and that she now gives to her chosen children.