The Mahogany Project

The mission of The Mahogany Project is to create and provide safe social spaces for/by transgender and non-binary people in Houston, Texas. We believe that everyone deserves access to economic stability, dignified housing, quality healthcare, resources, community, and opportunities for healing. We provide and connect the most marginalized to programs that help individuals and communities thrive. We advocate throughout the State of Texas and throughout the Southern United States for the civil rights, equal rights, safety and empowerment of Black Transgender, Non-binary, and queer people. 

Our 4 Priorities Are: 

• Empowering Transgender and LGBT communities and building strong communities. 

• Peer-led resource navigation and crisis response informed by our lived experiences 

• Advocating for safety and civil rights for LGBT communities in the South. 

• Celebrating our history, culture and resilience

About The Mahogany Project: 

Founded in 2017 by advocate Verniss McFarland, The Mahogany Project aims to reduce social isolation, stigma, and violence that our most marginalized communities often face daily. A pillar of our work- creating safe spaces for transgender and queer communities of color in Houston, Texas- has allowed our work to impact the lives of trans communities in our local city, and across the United States. 

The only Black trans-led/peer led community center in the state of Texas, The Mahogany Project provides supportive services, ranging from emergency housing resource navigation, food pantry, clothing closet, and case management support. In addition, we provide recreational and arts activities- from our media center/recording studio to painting classes to community celebrations- all with the aim of providing empowerment and safety for communities who have nowhere else to turn to for peer-led support. We believe that everyone deserves access to economic stability, dignified housing, quality healthcare, resources, community, and opportunities for healing. We provide and connect the most marginalized to programs that help individuals and communities thrive.

In the midst of growing transphobia, anti-blackness, and anti-trans rhetoric in Texas and the South- The Mahogany Project partners with advocacy groups and organizations in the fight to eradicate stigma against our community, and  lead organizing and advocate for the equal rights and protections of our transgender/non-binary and queer communities in the South. We believe that everyone deserves access to economic stability, dignified housing, quality healthcare, resources, community, and opportunities for healing. We provide and connect the most marginalized to programs that help individuals and communities thrive.