Netflix’s Glamorous: Who are “Callen-Lorde” and “Dr. Ripley Torres” from the Season 1 Finale?

Photo: William J. Nazareth, Jr./Callen-Lorde

Callen-Lorde is a real healthcare provider on the front lines of gender-affirming care and other healthcare for LGBTQIA+ people regardless of their ability to pay

What is Callen-Lorde, which appears in the Season 1 finale of Netflix’s “Glamorous,” via a Callen-Lorde business card for “Dr. Ripley Torres”?

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center is a real organization on the front-lines of providing life-saving care for 20,000 patients each year from locations in NYC’s Chelsea, the South Bronx, and Downtown Brooklyn. Callen-Lorde offers primary care, sexual health, behavioral health, women’s health, transgender health, HIV treatment/prevention, case management services, and a full-service pharmacy in an affirming and supportive environment, regardless of people’s ability to pay.

“Here’s what ‘Glamorous’ fans should know: Callen-Lorde is a lifeline for LGBTQIA+ people, and we are accepting new patients in New York,” said Donnie Roberts, senior director of development and communications at Callen-Lorde. “Callen-Lorde is a nonprofit organization that depends on the generosity of donors and supporters—so anyone interested in supporting LGBTQIA+ people can can support our life-saving work with a donation.”

Although “Dr. Ripley Torres” is not a real Callen-Lorde doctor, many of Callen-Lorde’s medical providers are indeed on the front lines of providing gender-affirming care for adults and young people and are recognized as national and international experts in the field.

• Dr. Uri Belkind is quoted throughout this feature in VeryWell Health on What is Gender-Affirming Care? 
• Deputy Executive Director Anthony Fortenberry talks about nurses on the front lines of LGBTQIA+ care in Johnson & Johnson’s nursing newsletter: This Nurse-Led Health Center is at the Forefront of LGBTQIA+ Care 

In addition to the healthcare services it provides directly, Callen-Lorde also works to improve education for healthcare providers and to expand the body of knowledge about the healthcare needs of LGBTQ+ communities. Its care is focused in its health centers, but its impact reaches outside of its doors, around the country and around the world.