Newly-opened Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center offers accessible health services for everyone

Earlier this month, the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center (CONOTEC) celebrated the opening of its new full-service healthcare clinic, which will deliver comprehensive medical services, including HIV/STI testing, cancer screenings and vaccinations, furthering its “Healthcare4All” commitment to accessible care for everyone.

With more than 35 years of community work, Queen Chela DeMuir, who is vice president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) trans affinity group FLUX  and the chief operating officer at CONOTEC, shared with CALÓ News that she has always been the kind of person to try and bring resources to environments where there isn't any. 

Founded in 2021 by AHF, CONOTEC is named after Constance “Connie” Robin Norman, born in Oxnard, who transitioned at age 26. Known as the “AIDS Diva,” she was a trans activist who challenged government inaction during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Today, the center serves as a hub for local trans and queer organizations, providing support for elders and advocates to continue their work.

With support from AHF, FLUX remains the only coordinated global trans-led organization that has created the nation’s first community workspace at CONOTEC for local trans-led organizations, at no cost to them, supporting the expansion of their services.

“I have just always been someone who tries to be a cultivator of culture, in any space that I occupy, and that is the same as a member of Flux United and also the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center. It's really about bridging all of those gaps and bringing them into one place,” DeMuir shared.

With the center now offering accessible health services for all, DeMuir said she hopes the clinic becomes “a beacon of hope and a model for people of all ages.” She also pointed to ongoing global attacks on trans healthcare and the rise of anti-trans legislation, emphasizing the importance of staying united and “standing strong, ten toes down.” At a time when healthcare services are being stripped away, the center is taking the opposite approach, ensuring there is a place where anyone can come to receive the care and professional expertise they need.

The Connie Norman Transgender Health Care Clinic welcomes everyone, underscoring its mission to provide care without barriers, regardless of gender, sexual identity or ability to pay. “The clinic gives people access to safe, consistent care without fear. It could change someone's health projection, their confidence and really their overall quality of life,” DeMuir said. “This clinic is different also because it is led with lived experience at the helm. When people walk in, they'll be seen, they'll be understood and cared for by folks who really get it and who really get you.”

If you’re interested in the services offered, you can visit the center at 1001 N. Martel Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. The clinic is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.