Trans rights and equity activists joined us at SXSW 2022 to discuss the gravity of inclusion and what has been happening across certain U.S. states – especially Texas, following the legislation’s intention to order investigations of gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Preview some of the Featured Sessions below which bring awareness and promote action to protect and lead a brighter future for our youth.
“You shouldn’t have to change who you are to be safe and to be loved.” — JVN
Jonathan Van Ness, an Emmy-nominated television personality, podcast host, activist, author, and hairstylist to the stars sat down with internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker ALOK to let us know that they’re not resisting the gender binary, but that they’re fighting for the beauty of fluidity.
During Trans Texans Need Us: Hear From the Front Lines, Jessica Shortall, Managing Director of Texas Competes, moderates a panel of local activists fighting against discriminatory laws including Andy Mara, (Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund); Emmett Schelling (Transgender Education Network of Texas); high school senior and activist Charlie Apple; and Diamond Stylz (Black Trans Women Inc). Two additional empty chairs on stage served as “a visual reminder of the silencing that has been added now to the years of trauma that the state is enacting on transgender people,” said Shortall.
United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland sat down with transgender activist and “Charlotte’s Web Thoughts” founder Charlotte Clymer for Auntie Deb’s Guide to Equity & Inclusion. Haaland spotlights her philosophy about why representation matters, how to take it to the next level, and what can be possible when we recognize America’s full history and provide space for all voices to have a seat at the table.
“The challenges our country faces can only be solved if marginalized communities have a voice, are respected, and are included in the solutions.” — Deb Haaland
Learn more about some of the organizations our Featured Speakers are leading and how to get involved: Texas Competes, Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDF), and Black Trans Women Inc (BTWI).
