Jazzie Collins

Jazzie Collins (September 24, 1958 – July 11, 2013) was an African American trans woman activist and community organizer for transgender rights, disability rights, and economic equality in San Francisco. Her activism spanned a decade and a wide variety of community organizations, boards, and initiatives focusing on fighting for the rights of minority communities.

Personal life Collins was born to a teenage mother in Memphis, Tennessee on September 24, 1958. She was born into a strict Baptist family and experienced abuse in foster care. She graduated from Job Corps and later worked as a construction worker and as a hospital orderly.

In 2003, she was a member of the Prop L Committee, successfully directing efforts to raise the minimum wage in San Francisco. Collins also helped organize tenant action for the Tenderloin Housing Clinic.

Collins died in San Francisco on July 11, 2013. She was remembered by one of the organizations she was dedicated to, Senior and Disability Action, as "fearless, inspiring, loving," and as a "beloved fighter".

The first homeless shelter in the United States for the adult LGBTQ community was opened in 2015 and named Jazzie's Place in honor of Collins. The shelter, located in San Francisco's Mission District, is operated by Dolores Street Community Services and is intended to serve as a safe haven for the homeless LGBTQ population, who are at a greater risk of violence and abuse.