At a time when Black transgender women face escalating violence and make up the majority of transgender people murdered each year, Gloria Allen’s story is an inspiring portrait of aging seldom seen. Born in 1945, Gloria came of age amid the legendary drag balls on Chicago’s South Side. She transitioned four years before Stonewall with the support of the women in her family, including her mother Alma, a former showgirl and Jet magazine centerfold, and her grandmother Mildred, a seamstress who sewed clothes for crossdressers and male strippers. Never imagining that she would make it past 40, let alone 60 or 70, Gloria felt compelled to open a charm school for young homeless trans people in Chicago offering lessons on love, makeup and manners that she received from her mother and grandmother. Now, living alone in a building for LGBTQ seniors and surviving on social security and a house-cleaning job, Gloria continues to grow old with joy, dignity and grace.

A 2022 GLAAD Media Award nominee, MAMA GLORIA, Luchina Fisher’s empathic and engaging documentary, is not only a portrait of a groundbreaking legend, but also a celebration of unconditional love, the love Gloria received from her own mother and that she now gives to her chosen children. The film includes rarely seen archival images of Chicago’s Black drag balls, crossdressers and shake dancers. It features the original song Presence of a Legend by singer and trans activist Shea Diamond and pop songwriter Justin Tranter.