From the Desk of Victoria Von Blaque… Great Gowns, Beautiful Gowns, Not the Right Gown for this Occasion NYTAG

(August 25, 2026) - On the morning of Monday, August 24, I woke up, as I do most mornings, with my darling daughter, the Countess of Chaos, securely sleeping in her favorite place—my personal dirty pillows, a.k.a. my tits. Since I’m on vacation, I haven’t been as tapped into the community, as I’m trying to learn how to separate in order to prioritize self-care while sustaining this work. I refuse to follow in the same habits as our Transtors, who literally worked themselves to death.

I received some staggering news that left many New York activists, community partners, and siblings of the late Kiara St. James gobsmacked. What exactly had my flabbers so ghasted? 

Ok so BOOM! William Colon is a cisgender man working at NYTAG which just happens to be a FUBU (For Us By Us) organization.  He was the CFO (Chief Financial Officer), AS 👏🏼 A 👏🏽 CIS 👏🏾 MAN 👏🏿 and now is the CEO (chief executive officer) I’m guessing your values are aligned; but wait, how were they align? If you believe in the mission statement of this org you should’ve never taken either one of those roles! For those who don’t know, NYTAG was founded by Kiara St. James and Tanya Walker, with the help of other Black and Brown trans women, because let’s be serious: historically we’re the ones who get things done when it comes to community and public engagement. Taken from the NYTAG website, their mission statement reads: “To create pathways for TGNCNBI New Yorkers to build leadership, drive advocacy, and grow community rooted in collective care and power.” Their vision statement states: “A New York where every TGNCNBI person can lead, thrive, and shape the world they live in.” This is why many of us who knew, worked beside, and loved Kiara are perplexed. Just because you are qualified to do this work doesn’t mean you should be doing it. It’s giving Great gowns, beautiful gowns, not the right gown for this occasion!

 A lot of complex feelings and thoughts flooded my mind: How would Kiara feel about this? How did the Board arrive at this decision? Why was there not a successor named while she was alive? These questions overwhelmed me as I grappled with the fact that an ally, who was lovely when I met him, is now the new executive director of NYTAG—a position created for a trans person! Let me find out there might be a history of mistreatment towards the Afro-Latina gurls. From my understanding, you had a candidate that Kiara approved of, who demographically represents all of the targeted groups that are most disenfranchised—the very essence of what NYTAG was designed to support. She is Black, Latina, trans and highly respected in community, yet you played in her face.

As I sip this hibiscus tisane, let me spell a little bit for you, baby doll: while the trans community only makes up 1% of the overall population, most of us have each other’s math, hush puppy. Many of us knew Kiara in our personal lives, visited her, and shared intimate conversations with her. Therefore, this mic drop of an announcement certainly created more questions than answers. So, I grabbed my proverbial pearls, answered some phone calls, and began to figure out what in the hell was going on. Before I could even partake in my morning rituals & ablution, I started googling.

If there was no successor in mind, why was Tanya not given the organization? Lala put it best: “Why wasn’t leadership passed back to the original founder, or used as an opportunity to intentionally support, mentor, and prepare the next Black trans woman to lead?” I’m not here to police or gatekeep anyone’s gender, but I was reminded by some fellow writers that William stated at the NYTAG Summit in March that he was an ally and NOT trans himself. I can also recognize that many of us in the nonprofit sector do not have a great track record around finances, so perhaps we should let him stay until we find someone trans who can effectively fulfill the CFO role. I won't lie, I find it interesting that people are now trying to label him as non-binary. While I understand that many people identify as non-binary and historically that falls underneath the Trans umbrella now some people identify as non-binary non-trans and maybe that’s where Williams stands. 

I would also be remiss not to mention that on April 9, NYTAG announced a program called the K.O.I.N. Fund, which stands for Kiara’s Opportunity & Investment Network. This might sound familiar to some, as Callen-Lorde has a program called C.O.I.N., which stands for Cecilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network. I have been the lead of this contract for about four and a half of the six years the program has existed. The naming of this program confused many in the community, leading them to reach out to me about how to apply for investment opportunities. What’s even crazier is that it was formerly known as the BIPOC Trans Equity Fund, so I’m puzzled about why it had to change at all. Community members reached out to Kiara directly, and she requested that this content be removed—even from her deathbed—yet her wishes were ignored. For months before her passing, there were whispers about how she was pushed out of her own organization. Can you imagine being a Black trans woman standing up for change in your community, only to be sidelined by a gay man who takes over something you started and disregards your wishes for its operation? It almost sounds like what happened to Marsha and Sylvia. The timing of this announcement on Marsha P. Johnson’s birthday is diabolical— do you think it could be a coincidence?

In closing, I want to pose a few questions based on the five values posted on their website. First, regarding collective responsibility: For those who claim to truly support Kiara and NYTAG, what is our responsibility—not just to the organization but to the community it serves? Second, concerning intersectionality: We all understand that race, class, gender, and identity were among the reasons Kiara started NYTAG. So based on the website, why is there not one visible Black trans person on their board, specifically a Black trans woman? Is this not an example of what Kiara was fighting against? On their Instagram on August 17, Tiommi Luckett just now joined the board of directors. Thank the Goddess for small changes. Has Yanery Cruz been asked to come back to be on the board? Let's be real, she pretty much kept y'all in good standing with the community. Shout out to her for leaving when she did and now doing big things in the mayor's office. I was once on their community advisory board, and if their board of directors move the same way as that, well…Third, regarding collective leadership: Having the community that is most affected make decisions about themselves is the smartest approach, especially given the mission statement. So, what trans people, specifically Black trans people, signed off on William Colon and why? Fourth, concerning grassroots movement building: Allies and co-conspirators are needed, but what infrastructure do we build within our grassroots organizations to promote knowledge transfer to future generations without overstepping? We need more skill-sharing so that those most affected by systemic pitfalls can empower themselves. Isn’t that what grassroots movements are about? Lastly, regarding community empowerment: It’s disheartening to see how often a nonprofit started for the betterment of a disenfranchised community devolves into a capitalistic nightmare. How is hiring someone for the role of executive director of a trans organization—who is not trans themselves—considered community empowerment? Trans people have never abandoned the LGB community; historically, we have continuously supported them, often only to be betrayed.

In my honest opinion, I feel he should step down because there are plenty of qualified Black and Brown trans individuals for this position. How can we empower the trans community when we’re not hiring from within it?

No shade; I know y’all didn’t think no one would call you out, but unlike some, I’m not above reproach. This isn’t personal—I appreciate the work you’ve done behind the scenes, but that’s where allies do their best work but something doesn’t seem clean in this douche water my love. William, let’s chop it up over a chop cheese and have a kiki.