Gloria Allen, was an American transgender activist who ran a charm school for transgender youth in Chicago’s Center on Halsted. Allen’s school lasted only a few years — she was not paid, and she often used her own money to prepare students’ meals — but inspired a hit play, Charm, by Philip Dawkins. Her experiences were chronicled in the documentary film, Mama Gloria.
In 2014, Allen received Living Legend Award at the Trans 100 awards from transgender activists Janet Mock and Precious Brady-Davis. In 2021, she received the Carmen Vázquez Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging Issues from SAGE, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ elders, at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change conference.