LGBTQ+ Crisis Hotline: 866-488-7386 | Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 988 | Physical Emergency: 911 | Maryland Resources: 211
The Frederick Center provides critical services to youth and adults in our state. We cannot do it without your help! Please DONATE TODAY!
LGBTQ+ Crisis Hotline: 866-488-7386 | Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 988 | Physical Emergency: 911 | Maryland Resources: 211
Kris Fair is a lifelong Frederick County resident who graduated from Linganore High School in 2002, Frederick Community College in 2008, and Hood College in 2012. Kris has worked on civil rights and other community challenges for the past twenty years. He has been active with organizations including The Frederick Arts Council, The Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP), MOM’s Demand Action, The Frederick Center, The Golden Mile Alliance, Marylanders for Marriage Equality, The Greater Frederick Advertising Federation, Frederick County Democratic Party, and Weinberg Center for the Arts. In recognition of his strategic planning abilities, leadership skills, and contributions of many volunteer hours, Kris has been honored with the Community Foundation of Frederick County’s Wertheimer Award, The Human Relations Commission’s Lord Nickens Public Service Award, and Hood College’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Award. He has been named the Frederick County Democratic Party volunteer of the year and was recently featured in Frederick Magazine’s People to Watch. Kris currently lives in Frederick City with his husband, Dominick.
Support Program Coordinator – Glorie is a lifelong local of Frederick and dedicated member of the queer community. Glorie graduated from Brunswick High School in 2015 and from Hood College in 2019 with a degree in Social Work and minor in the Study of Women and Gender. During their time at Hood College, Glorie served as the first Diversity Chair of the Student Government Association Executive Board and as a Resident Assistant of Meyran Hall. Glorie received the Epitome Award from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for dedication to social justice in the Hood community. They also participated in the Hood College Improv Troupe, Feminist and Queer Student Unions, acted in ‘A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer’, ‘The Vagina Monologues’, and was Lucy in ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’. Since graduating, Glorie has worked as a Therapeutic Mentor with children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and as a Supports Planner for people with disabilities. Glorie enjoys spending their free time in a hammock with their nose in a book, or on a hike with their partner, Anthony, and dogs, Cheech and Percy. Glorie is thrilled to join The Frederick Center and to work with other members of the LGBTQ Frederick Community.
Martin Scarborough is a returning member of the Frederick County community. Originally from Myersville, Martin graduated from Middletown High School in 2013 and later from Hood College in 2017 with a double major in Global Studies and Spanish. For the last 6 years, Martin has lived abroad in Baltimore City, where he worked in fundraising and development for programs that supported youth education and enrichment, immigration advocacy, and racial justice. He is excited to bring his experience to the Frederick Center, where he can use his talents to support fellow members of the queer community.
In his free time, Martin enjoys creative hobbies, including Dungeons & Dragons, digital artwork, and writing. He is a proud father to a fat, black cat named Mephistopheles, and an axolotl named Ninki.
A native of Frederick County, Alex has always had a passion for people and community health/wellness. Most recently he served two years at the Frederick County Health Department in COVID-19 response. As.an instructor of English as a second language and recent American Sign Language interpreter graduate, he understands the importance of equal access to communication/language, opportunities and resources. Alex identifies as a Bi-racial African American, Cisgender man and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He has worked closely with individuals and communities impacted by HIV, and seeks to spread an awareness of issues related to transmission, treatment/health care, testing, drug adherence, stigma and the concept of U=U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable).
Marcia Simpson is a dedicated and outspoken member of the queer community, based in Frederick, MD. She identifies as a Bipoc Trans woman and has been a resident of Frederick for over 16 years. Marcia is a prominent figure in the community as a Trans speaker, community organizer, and Trans support group facilitator. She was also instrumental in organizing Frederick’s first TDOR (Transgender Day of Remembrance) event.
When not advocating for the Trans community, Marcia enjoys spending her free time with her spouse/partner of 27 years and her children. She has a passion for record and retro game collecting, as well as music and art. Marcia’s dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for the Trans community has earned her the respect and admiration of many in Frederick and beyond.
Karina De la Fuente is a Maryland native who graduated from Brunswick High School in 2014 and Hood College in 2018. Karina is a compassionate and caring mental health and LGBTQ+ advocate with over a decade of lived experience and recovery from ARFID, Anorexia Nervosa, chronic illness, and C-PTSD, as well as being impacted by substance use. They recently graduated from Project Peer Recovery in April 2024, a training to achieve certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist, which enables them to mentor, support, and motivate individuals in various stages of recovery. Karina is dedicated to guiding individuals to achieve personal goals and self-advocacy. They hope to return to school and earn their Masters in Social Work to enable them to serve others as a Trauma Therapist.
Karina’s life goal is to open an inclusive treatment center for lesser-known eating disorders, trauma, and substance use called the Betty House to help the queer community, ethnic and racial minorities, neurodivergent individuals, and those experiencing poverty – populations that are often forgotten or mistreated in higher levels of care. In their spare time, they enjoy listening to metal under their favorite willow tree at Baker Park, cross-stitching while watching Real Housewives, or creating and selling mental health resources and tools as the TraumaGoblin.
Lucienne Chaka is a Frederick Local who graduated from Urbana High School in 2024, and plans to attend FCC. She loves being a part of her community and is interested in helping it grow.
In her free time, she likes gaming, music, drawing, spending time in the woods, and the hit British comedy show Taskmaster.
Toni (slash-Antonia-slash-Antonio) has lived in Maryland for their whole life and has been out as queer for only slightly less. Having graduated from Frederick Community College with an associate’s in humanities, he hopes to attend Hood College to get a sociology and religious studies degree. She is passionate about understanding the world and the people in it, which leads her to spend hours reading about history, society, and philosophy. In xyr free time, Toni practices embroidering various articles of clothing and household objects, visual art, and the art of both fiction and nonfiction storytelling. Toni has a so-called “cat” named Mochi, and a peace lily named Medo, named in honor of Mohammad “Medo” Halimy. Their main goals for the future are creating more support for lesser-discussed LGBT groups such as aromantic, multigender, and intersex people; connecting religious & spiritual queer people with affirming theology and community; and fostering communities build on the values of neighborliness, justice, and compassion.
TL;DR I’m a gay nerd who likes helping people.
80Nenita has lived in Frederick since she was two. She graduated from Gov. Thomas Johnson High School in 2021 and will be attending Ithaca College in the fall of 2022. Nenita has been an intern with The Frederick Center since the summer of 2020, helping connect The Frederick Center with local GSA advisors. In the past, they have enjoyed spending time volunteering and working with different community organizations in Frederick. With the increased isolation in the past few years, they’re glad to have been a part of keeping Frederick’s queer community connected.
As an entrepreneur, professional coach, Recovery Coach Professional, and sought-after speaker, Johanna’s passion and mission is to help others awaken to the highest version of themselves. Through in-person and online coaching, support and video training, their clients put into action proven tools, principles, and strategies that raise them up from major setbacks, failure and mediocrity to living lives beyond their dreams.
Johanna’s work is available at their company website www.dolanassoc.com along with their blog, and podcast series Recovery Capital.
Johanna is a graduate of Robbins-Madanes Training Strategic Intervention Institute. They are a member of the International Coaching Federation and completed their coach training under teachers Tony Robbins, Cloe Madanes, Mark Peysha, and Magali Peysha. Over 12+ years, they have developed and run in-person and online trainings/ events for a wide variety of organizations, including: Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers, Ashley Addiction Treatment, Facing Addiction, Connecticut Community For Addiction Recovery (CCAR), Recovery Coach Academy UK, the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence Faces and Voices of Recovery UK, and The Communities Project. They were also a [full/part-time] staff member at an urban inpatient and outpatient drug treatment and recovery center where they served as a member of the Clinical Management Team and developed and co-facilitated the first company-wide LGBTQ Equality training across numerous campuses.
They are a board member of the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, the International Association of Recovery Coach Professionals, the Maryland Behavioral Health Advisory Council, the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Suicide Prevention, James’s Place Inc. and The Frederick Center (currently Board Chair), writes the Disrupting Bias column for Baltimore Outloud, and the recipient of the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader of the Year award. They are also an ordained minister.
Bio Coming Soon
Peter Brehm currently serves as Treasurer for The Frederick Center, Inc., a nonprofit corporation dedicated to support, educate, link, organize, and provide outreach to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community of central Maryland. He is also a volunteer with the organization’s Community Services and Community Partnerships Committees. Brehm began his advocacy for LGBTQ issues when he was in college and served as president of the then-named Gay Student Union (GSU). He is also active with the Friends of Baker Park, the Kiwanis Club of Suburban Frederick, the Frederick HIV Coalition, Friends of Waterford Park, and serves as a coordinator for the Neighborhood Advisory Council 9. He has lived in Frederick with his husband, Jack Day, for fourteen years.
Wil X Graham (he, his, him) comes to The Frederick Center with a wealth of experience in leadership, administration, policy, and organizational development in business and nonprofits. He has led in the teaching and learning sphere, having served as principal and head of school in Washington, DC, and Maryland. An active member of the Frederick County business community as a small business owner. Previous or current experience includes or has served Frederick County Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Frederick Community College Foundation Board of directors, Founding Board of Directors member, and Western Maryland Representative to the Maryland Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Chamber of Commerce, Co-Chair on the City of Frederick Disadvantage Business Enterprise Panel. In addition, he is a member of the Southern Frederick Rotary Club, And the Greenview HOA. He is a Large format Print Specialist and a consultant to small minority owned business and schools.
A lifelong resident of Frederick County, Jessica is a proud transgender woman. She has a passion for advocating for progressive causes, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. For the past 5 years, she has worked as a phlebotomist collecting patient blood specimens. As a self described “gay geeky gamer girl”, in her downtime, she enjoys gaming, playing with her pets, reading comic books (her favorite superheroes are The Flash, Batwoman, Supergirl, and Jessica Cruz), and binge-watching TV shows online (especially Star Trek!). Jessica currently lives in Walkersville with her cat, Louise, and two cornsnakes, Oblisque and Norbert.
Calvin is a white, bisexual, transgender man therapist who aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and affirming space for all of his clients and recognizes that they are experts of their own stories and lived experiences. He believes in the importance of acknowledging his positionality as it relates to those of his clients to facilitate a healthy and comfortable therapeutic relationship.
Calvin recognizes that there are structural barriers for many people, particularly those in historically marginalized groups, in approaching mental health concerns and challenges. He aims to provide an environment where his clients feel comfortable exploring these aspects of their lives with the ultimate goal of creating holistic and meaningful change. Calvin utilizes the tenants of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a framework to support clients’ self-awareness and personal growth, and has used Motivational Interviewing (MI) to support clients with social anxiety, anxiety, depression, and navigating alcohol and substance use.
Calvin has experience working with Queer and Trans youth, supporting them with challenges related to self-expression, interpersonal relationships, and transitional life stages, as well as adults as they navigate how their identity development and expression influences their relationships, career paths, and overall well-being. He utilizes a warm and approachable style to create a space so that clients can be their authentic selves.
Justine holds a BA in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Social Thought & Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Masters in Social Work from the Smith College School for Social Work. She is a Licensed Masters Social Worker under the supervision of Kate MacShane, LCSW-C.
Justine is licensed in Maryland and can provide telehealth sessions for clients physically located in Maryland. She sees clients in person in our Frederick office.
Justine is a white, queer, transfeminine therapist. Her approach to treatment is compassionate, irreverent, and strengths-based. She enjoys helping teenagers, adults, and partnerships deepen their relationships with themselves and others. As a transfeminine therapist, she considers the ways in which structural oppression impacts individual well-being. She works with people of all identities, especially LGBTQ+ individuals, non-monogamous and kinky folks, and neurodivergent people.
Justine draws upon psychodynamic, narrative, humanistic, transfeminist, and other liberatory approaches in her work with clients. Bringing enthusiasm and joy to each connection she builds in practice, she strives to create a gentle, supportive space for those who have experienced formative and ongoing traumas. Justine regards therapy as a laboratory for discerning and developing life change. She believes that by considering therapy, clients already possess the innate capacity and bravery to pursue healing and growth.
Justine brings previous experience working in special education settings and leading LGBTQ+ affirming care initiatives at Behavioral Health Network’s Empowerment Project for Gender and Sexual Minorities in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her approach is informed by her time as a community educator and organizer for gender-affirming policy in institutions of higher education. She has previous tenure in performing arts, creative and scholarly writing, and culinary arts, all of which she continues to grow and develop throughout her own journey as a therapist and a person.
Emma holds a BA in Psychology from The University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work.
Emma is independently licensed to practice clinical social work in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and is able to do telehealth with clients physically located in those states. In-person clients are seen in her office in Frederick, Maryland.
Emma is a queer, white therapist who practices from an anti-oppressive and relational framework with a warm, open approach. She values creating spaces where people can talk about parts of their identities that they haven’t been able to explore previously. Emma enjoys working with clients to improve self-advocacy, develop meaningful connections in their relationships, and explore identity. She is passionate about working with adolescents and young adults who are exploring the complexities of life transitions and independence.
Emma has experience working with veterans with a focus on PTSD, complex trauma, and moral injury. Emma also worked with youth in the Boston metro area providing in-home family therapy while centering the strengths of her youth clients.
Emma has received post-graduate training in sex therapy from University of Michigan. She participated in a fellowship program with the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy + Psychoanalysis in 2020. She also received a Certificate of Human Sexuality in 2019 from the San Francisco VA, which included training in sensate focus therapy, sexual trauma, and supportive letter writing for trans adults.
Merrick holds a BA in Anthropology from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of South Florida, and an MSW from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work. M is a Licensed Masters Social Worker under the clinical supervision of Kate MacShane, LCSW-C.
Merrick sees clients in person and via telehealth from our Frederick office.
Merrick is licensed in Maryland and able to offer telehealth sessions for clients physically located in the state of Maryland. They see clients in person in our Frederick office.
Merrick is a white, queer, non-binary therapist. Their practice is rooted in an anti-racist, critical social work perspective that centers on collective relationship-building rather than upholding hierarchies – within and outside of clinical practice. Merrick aims to collectively build bridges towards a more just world through radical growth, self-love, and self-knowledge. M’s therapeutic practice centralizes individual experience, while honoring collective traumas from institutionalized and structural oppression, and seeks to help build people up by highlighting the experiences, strengths, and hopes of each individual coming into therapy.
Prior to attending University of Maryland’s School of Social Work, Merrick worked for a non-profit organization that provided employment and rehabilitative services to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. After seeing a dearth in therapeutic support for neurodivergent folks and people with disabilities in general, they turned their focus to clinical social work.
Merrick is passionate about providing compassionate and empathetic therapeutic support to neurodiverse and gender expansive folks. They have studied individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, structural oppression, and feminist theory. They have also completed training in kink and poly affirming care and is interested in providing support to folks who have experienced harm from their religion.