Tela La’Raine Love is a remarkable voice in the transgender community, a woman whose journey reflects resilience, transformation, and a refusal to be silenced. Born and raised in New Orleans, she began her transition as a teenager in the early 1990s, a time when visible transgender role models were almost nonexistent. Her path was filled with obstacles, including addiction, sex work, living with HIV, and surviving without family or institutional support. Yet she transformed those struggles into a purpose-driven life, determined to ensure that no other young trans girl would be forced to endure the same hardships in silence. Today Tela is an activist, minister, peer counselor, mentor, artist, student, HIV prevention specialist, facilitator, video blogger, and co-founder of New Legacy Ministries. She views herself not only as a woman with trans experience but as someone committed to making her story a source of guidance and hope.
Her advocacy is deeply rooted in the belief that visibility saves lives and that sharing one’s truth can shift the narrative for generations to come. From the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which she credits with saving her life by placing her in new circles of affirmation and mentorship, to her ongoing work in community building and ministry, Tela embodies the strength of living authentically. Her story, which she often describes as colorful enough to resemble a mix of animated films and spiritual dramas, is both deeply personal and universally inspiring. With her upcoming documentary “Disappear or Die: A Southern Black Trans Experience” and her continuous work on national advisory boards, Tela La’Raine Love continues to prove that her voice is not only powerful but necessary.
