Hello friends! It’s Grace O’Connor, Vice President and Lead Therapist at GWLA. I’m so excited to be catching up with you today. 

On October 27th, Gender Wellness of Los Angeles (GWLA) and No Matter What Recovery (NMWR) collaborated to host an open house in Los Angeles. This unique event aimed to foster community, recovery, and gender-inclusive wellness, bringing together peers, allies, and professionals to share resources, stories, and support systems for TGD (Trans and Gender-Diverse) and LGBTQ+ individuals.

The open house took place on the fabulous No Matter What Recovery campus on Temple St., in Los Angeles, CA. The goal of the day was to highlight gender-affirming providers and recovery services that are often difficult to access for gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ communities. We face many barriers to care as a population, but a lack of educated and empathetic providers should not be one of them.

What did we get up to at this event? All kinds of fun and queer/trans joy. Attendees enjoyed a spectacular drag performance by Eureka O’Hara (Ru Paul’s Drag Race Seasons 9 and 10), catering from Belladonna Catering, a political action table, and a live DJ.

We hope that participants left with a greater understanding of the trans and non-binary communities’ needs and available resources, as well as the challenges faced by the broader LGBTQ+ community, including addiction, mental health, and resource access. Guests of the event enjoyed a renewed sense of belonging and hope through connections with others who share similar experiences.

This collaboration exemplifies how open houses can be more than informational events—they are acts of community-building that validate lived experiences and foster pathways to comprehensive wellness. By centering gender-affirming care within the recovery landscape, these organizations demonstrate an inclusive, compassionate, and effective model of care.

Gender Wellness of Los Angeles’s mission is “to provide mental health services and resources that enable transgender, gender-diverse, and all LGBTQIA+ individuals—and their families—to thrive.” No Matter What Recovery focuses on holistic wellness to those facing addiction, offering education on healthy boundaries and communication, sober living, alongside treating physical ailments.

We are proud to partner with the No Matter What Recovery team as we continue to serve our clients and greater community with pride. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!

Take good care,
Grace O’Connor, MA, LMFT (She/Her)

Thank you for reading the GenWell blog. You can read more about our team here. If you or a loved one is struggling on the journey with gender identity, we ask you to reach out via our contact form or call our office at (818) 855-1105. Your journey to your most authentic self starts here.

—The Gender Wellness of Los Angeles Team