Dee Wagner (they/them) has been working at Prevention Point Philadelphia since 2021 and is currently the Drop-In Center Coordinator. Dee has always loved helping others, and did their own street outreach with friends before starting to work at PPP. They are known by colleagues and participants alike for their kind nature and generous spirit—Dee has been known to literally give away the clothes off their back to people in need. This Transgender Day of Visibility, Dee shares a message of acceptance, empathy, and love.
Visibility is being able to be seen and heard. People who are trans should be able to come in to PPP and get the services that they need without feeling different. I know that's one of the things that we truly do at PPP. Sometimes they're not seen, not heard in other areas of their lives.
Because of their identity, sometimes our trans participants are afraid to get help. On a normal day it's not easy for them to survive out here. There are plenty of participants who have come to me and said, "I was attacked today just walking down the block.”
"My experiences in life so far have definitely led me to work at PPP."
Being someone that's in the LGBTQ community and being non-binary, I struggle sometimes with my identity. I've been under the lens of being a female my whole life. But deep down inside, I don’t always feel that way. Sometimes I'm more masculine. I’m thankful for my mom being as accepting as she is with my gender and sexuality. I've had family members kick me out of their house and refuse to speak to me. There is one person in my family who hasn’t spoken to me since 2012 because of my identity.
Even before I knew that I was a lesbian or gay, I've always accepted everybody, even as a kid. I’m just a loving person. Some people forget that just because you say you love somebody, it doesn't mean that they feel it. They have to see it in action.
My experiences in life so far have definitely led me to work at PPP. Not only my sexuality, but also with my mother having experienced substance use disorder. It led me to realize that if I could help her, I could help other people too.
In 2019, my mother called me one day and basically told me she couldn't move her leg or lift her arms. We found out that she had a very bad infection in her spinal cord. She couldn't move. I picked her up and took her to the hospital. The first hospital gave her antibiotics and sent her home. Three days later, the infection came right back. I took her to Temple, and thank God for Dr. Work—he saved my mom’s life. I don't know if he knows that, but he definitely saved my mom's life. To this day, she talks about Dr. Work. She spent 62 days in a nursing home with a PICC line in her arm, basically just dropping antibiotics, and she's been in recovery since. She now works at PPP as a case manager.
If you say you love people, love them for who they are. Don’t discriminate against them, not against their sexuality, their race, their beliefs. Try to be there for somebody because you never know. Just love people; love can take you a long way.