Meet Tremayne!
Name & Pronouns:
Tremayne Thomas Little (he, him his)
Where did you grow up / where do you live now?
Tremayne was born in Manhattan, raised in Queens, and sharpened in the boogie down Bronx.
Tremayne's Hobbies?
Tennis is one of Tremayne's beloved hobbies. He reached a semi-final of a junior's tennis tournament held by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as a youngster and plays as much as he can for fun and exercise. He also plays electric guitar, and loves to sing and write his own music. "The kind of music that I've been writing lately is punk and funk rock, and I love to play other genres too."
Tremayne did not grow up speaking Spanish, but his other hobby is studying the language from software he recently purchased, as a way to learn more about his Central American background.
"I do a whole bunch of reading and belong to a queer book club where we read books by queer black authors." Tremayne appreciated learning about The LOFT's vast queer library on a recent television news program. “I didn’t know, The LOFT has the largest queer library of literature in in the country. It’s amazing and, I'm going to shout it from the rooftops to you and all my friends and queer folks!”
Why volunteer at The LOFT?
"I prayed for a way to make a contribution to marginalized communities during the uprising, following George Floyd's murder. I was interested in protesting but I am managing a hypertensive condition." With COVID, it wasn't safe for Tremayne to protest in the streets.
“So, I prayed to the universe and almost in succession like a domino effect, one after the other, I became a member of LGBT Kwanzaa Community of NYC. And then right after that, I met the program coordinator for the Center for Inclusion at Manhattanville College in Westchester. He invited LGBT Kwanzaa Community of NYC to present during Black History Month. He asked me to help out, and I helped organize and then even co-host the event. And then he asked me to co-moderate the rest of the LGBTQ+ Series at the Center for inclusion for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester virtually on Zoom"
Tremayne then started attending LOFT meetings regularly and says, "It's been great, it really has. I prayed to make a contribution to my community in any way I could, and the LOFT was divinely sent to me, and I'm happy to be a part of the LOFT community."
Volunteering Experience with The LOFT:
"Absolutely amazing. I mean, this space is so needed. There are folks, from all over the world, and I often wonder, how did they find out? I mean, whatever you all are doing, keep doing it."
Tremayne has met people across the globe through LOFT virtual programs and acknowledges the necessity by saying, "our communities appreciate that there is a space for them to create community and have community, because the whole queer community is under attack, as we know it."
Anything you would say to future volunteers at The LOFT?
"To say you will experience both personal gratification and satisfaction from volunteering, is an understatement. I think when we hear the word volunteering or volunteer, we think of the soup kitchen idea and people may not realize that, if they have leadership experience they can utilize it to help grow the community. I’d like them to know, be prepared for real fulfillment."
Tremayne has so much pride for holding a space and creating a space for The LOFT's LGBTQ+ People of Color Peer Support Group. Being a part of something where people of color can have community and learn something, be inspired, share, and contribute. Tremayne said he's got to be doing something right.
Would you rather go on vacation in the mountains or near a beach?
The beach! Tremayne grew up in the Rockaways in Queens and went to the beach all the time during his childhood, and more recently, Tremayne and his friends have visited Jacob Riis Beach, which is known to be NYC's "queer" beach!
Favorite Book/TV Show?
Hung, by Scott Poulson-Bryant.
Favorite Color?
Orange. "I have been rocking the color orange all summer and it is everything to me. The reason why I love orange is because it brings radiance, joy, warmth and compassion. When I wear it, I feel expressive."
Any words to Live By?
"The glass is half full." Tremayne then lamented, "No matter how difficult it is for us as queer people, with all of the challenges we face in life, we have to remember that we have everything we need, and if we don't have something that we need, we have a resource to access it."