Transforming your struggle into strength.
Built by community and driven by lived experience, this is where stories shift systems and leadership grows from within.
Centering Lived Experience. Building Collective Power.
Strength Over Struggle Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is dedicated to amplifying leadership, healing, and collective power among QTBIPOC communities — especially trans people, people living with HIV, youth, and those impacted by trauma or systems of oppression.
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Strength Over Struggle, Inc. exists to amplify leadership, healing, and collective power within QTBIPOC communities — especially trans and gender-diverse people, people living with HIV, system-impacted youth and adults, and those impacted by trauma or systems of oppression.
Through leadership development, mutual aid and resource connection, storytelling and narrative change, and policy advocacy, we build programs that address immediate needs while advancing long-term structural transformation.We are a lived-experience-led organization, committed to building leadership within our communities rather than speaking for them.
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We envision communities where QTBIPOC people thrive in safety, dignity, and self-determined power.
We imagine systems shaped by those most impacted by them — where leadership reflects lived experience, policies protect and affirm, and healing is collective rather than isolated.
Our vision is a future where survival is no longer the goal — liberation, stability, and joy are.
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Strength Over Struggle strengthens communities from within.
By investing in lived-experience leadership, providing direct support and mutual aid, shifting harmful narratives, and advancing policy change, we help build pathways toward equity and justice.
Our impact is measured not only in programs delivered, but in leaders developed, stories reclaimed, systems challenged, and collective power expanded.
Every partnership, donation, volunteer hour, and shared story strengthens community capacity — turning struggle into strategy and resilience into structural change.
Upcoming Days of Importance & Events
Stay tuned for regular event programming beginning Summer 2026!
Strength Over Struggle hosts events that celebrate, educate, and empower QTBIPOC communities. Check back soon for announcements and ways to get involved.
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Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual observance dedicated to celebrating and uplifting transgender, non‑binary, and gender‑diverse people around the world. It focuses on the accomplishments, resilience, and contributions of trans communities, while raising awareness about the discrimination, inequities, and challenges they continue to face. TDOV was created in 2009 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall to highlight the lives and achievements of trans people in a positive light — distinct from days of remembrance or mourning.
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This annual global observance on May 17 brings together individuals, organizations, and governments from around the world to raise awareness about the discrimination, violence, and inequality that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender‑diverse people continue to face. It’s a day for solidarity, visibility, and advocacy for human rights and equality for LGBTQIA+ communities. The date was chosen to commemorate the 1990 decision by the World Health Organization to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders — a key milestone in the fight for LGBTQ+ affirmation.
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Mark your calendars—the annual Indy Pride Parade and Festival returns on June 13, 2026.
More coming soon on Strength Over Struggle’s involvement!
Our Executive Committee
DeOnyae-Dior Valentina
Founder and Chair -- she/her/ellas 
Symone Bailey
Vice Chair -- she/her/hers
[OPEN POSITION]
Treasurer -- Apply here![OPEN POSITION]
Secretary -- Apply here!About Our Board of Directors
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DeOnyae-Dior Valentina is the Founder of Strength Over Struggle, a community-driven initiative dedicated to uplifting the voices, healing, and leadership of QTBIPOC communities, particularly those living with HIV, impacted by trauma, or navigating systems that were never designed with them in mind. Her work is rooted in lived experience, policy advocacy, and a deep commitment to ensuring that the people closest to injustice are closest to the solutions.
Through Strength Over Struggle, DeOnyae-Dior builds spaces where storytelling, healing, and strategy meet, empowering community members to reclaim their narratives, develop leadership skills, and shape the policies and systems that affect their lives. She believes that sustainable change happens when communities are not treated as recipients of support, but as architects of transformation.
Known for her ability to bridge grassroots voices with decision-making spaces, DeOnyae-Dior works across advocacy, education, and systems engagement to advance equity, dignity, and collective liberation. At the heart of her leadership is a guiding belief: survival is resistance, healing is political, and the strength of our communities has always existed, it simply deserves the resources and recognition to flourish. -
Symone Bailey(she/her) serves as Vice Chair of Strength Over Struggle, where she focuses on building strong governance, sustainable infrastructure, and accountable leadership rooted in community values. With a background in reproductive justice, patient advocacy, and grassroots organizing, Symone brings both direct service experience and strategic oversight to the board. She is committed to ensuring the organization’s structure reflects its mission, protects its resources, and centers those most impacted. As Vice Chair, she prioritizes transparency, long-term stability, and building systems that allow the work of liberation to grow with integrity.
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Director of Strategy & Planning
Todd helps guide the organization’s strategic direction and long-term planning. He supports alignment between mission, programs, and growth so Strength Over Struggle can operate sustainably and effectively.
Connect with Todd on LinkedIn!
Bio coming soon!
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Co-Director of Storytelling & Communications
Emily co-leads storytelling and communications alongside Salem Lucas. Together, they guide how Strength Over Struggle shares its work and uplifts community voices.
Bio coming soon!
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Co-Director of Storytelling & Communications
Salem co-leads storytelling and communications alongside Emily Masiliunas. Together, they guide how Strength Over Struggle shares its work and uplifts community voices.
Bio coming soon!
Interested in joining our Board of Directors?
We are intentionally building a board that centers lived experience alongside professional expertise. We believe community wisdom, survival, and accountability are just as valuable as formal credentials. This is a working board rooted in relationship, responsibility, and shared leadership.
Get Involved!
Volunteer or Attend Events
Sign up to attend events, volunteer your time, or apply for leadership opportunities. Program openings and application details are posted on our website and social media.
Contact us for opportunities.
Apply to Serve on the Board
We are actively recruiting board members based on lived experience, governance needs, and skill gaps. We especially welcome individuals with financial expertise, fundraising experience, governance knowledge, or strong community relationships.
Apply here.
Donate to Fund the Work
Make a tax-deductible donation to directly support leadership development, mutual aid, advocacy, and organizational operations. Contributions sustain both immediate support and long-term systems change.
Donate here.
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Our work focuses on four core pillars:
Leadership development
Mutual aid and resource connection
Storytelling and narrative change
Policy and systems advocacy
We build programs that support both immediate needs and long-term structural change.
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We prioritize support for:
QTBIPOC communities
trans and gender-diverse people
people living with HIV
system-impacted youth and adults
individuals navigating trauma, poverty, or structural barriers
We welcome anyone aligned with our mission and values.
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QTBIPOC stands for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
This term centers people who identify as LGBTQ+ (queer and/or trans) and as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.
It acknowledges that racism and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination often overlap, and that people living at these intersections may experience unique challenges — as well as unique resilience, leadership, and cultural strength.
We use QTBIPOC to intentionally uplift and prioritize communities whose voices have historically been marginalized within both racial justice and LGBTQ+ spaces.
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The Board of Directors holds ultimate authority over governance, strategy, financial oversight, legal compliance, and accountability to the communities we serve.
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Yes. Strength Over Struggle does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, immigration status, or other protected characteristics.
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You can:
attend events
volunteer
apply for leadership opportunities
partner with us
join community initiatives
Opportunities are shared on our website and social platforms as they open.
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Yes. We participate in:
panels
workshops
trainings
conferences
community events
policy briefings
Submit speaking requests through our contact page or email info@strengthoverstruggleinc.org
