From exposure through "Pose" and "Disclosure" in media to transgender candidates making huge strides (and wins) in the 2020 election, trans rights have come along way but we still have far to go. For this roundtable discussion, our panel of thought leaders will dive deeper into what's next for trans rights and what they'd like to see from the incoming administration. DoctorJonPaul who was named one of Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40”. Their work has been featured on sites like NBC News, Vox, VICE, MTV News, Essence, Out Magazine and more. Chriss Nelson is a long-time LGBTQ activist from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 2018, they founded Trans Minors Rights; an organization aimed at helping transgender youth in Pennsylvania to make their own decisions regarding puberty blockers. Angelina Nordstrom is a lyricist, poet, and advocate based in Chicago, Illinois. Angelina’s written pieces have been published in compilations such as the TransWorks of Chicago House, Infinite Genders: You Can't Read With Us, and Changing The Story. The conversation will be moderated by Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominee Ada Westfall, a Brooklyn-based writer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer, and proud transgender woman.
Diversity Reboot Summit
What's Next for Trans Rights
Meet The Speakers
Chriss Nelson is a long-time LGBTQ activist from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Their work focuses mainly on the visibility and rights of transgender youth, but they have a wide breadth of knowledge regarding LGBTQ issues. They've given talks on LGBTQ acceptance in the workplace, what it means to be genderfluid, and the importance of pronouns. In 2018, they founded Trans Minors Rights; an organization aimed at helping transgender youth in Pennsylvania to make their own decisions regarding puberty blockers. You can find more about this organization at transminorsrights.org and follow them on social media @TMRexecs.
Angelina is a lyricist, poet, and advocate based in Chicago, Illinois. As a black trans woman who grew up in the south (Memphis, Tennessee) and has indigenous roots with the Choctaw tribe, she brings a unique perspective to her work. Angelina’s written pieces have been published in compilations such as the TransWorks of Chicago House, Infinite Genders: You Can't Read With Us, and Changing The Story. Additionally, Angelina serves as a director on multiple boards across the Chicagoland area.
Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (DoctorJonPaul) is a professor, national speaker, freelance journalist, thought leader and media critic who examines the intersections of identity, gender and race in entertainment. Named Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40”, their work has been featured on sites like NBC News, Vox, VICE, MTV News, Essence, Out Magazine and more. They have worked closely with brands like Apple, Disney and Instagram and currently serves as 1/2 of the podcast, “Learnt”. In their first TEDx talk titled “Unlearning Fear”, they examine the importance of speaking truth to power and what it means to not only reclaim personal power, but to walk in your full authenticity. They hold a doctorate in educational justice and write regularly about intersectionality and liberation for queer people and what it means to not just survive, but thrive.
Ada Westfall is a writer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer, and proud transgender woman whose mission is to disrupt, interrogate, and diversify the canon, trends, and methodology in the field of music as it intersects all types of performance and the collaborative arts at large. She is experienced at taking on a number of roles often simultaneously (composer, music director, lead actor, onstage musician, et al.) on a wide variety of productions – everything from large-scale commercial spectacle to research-based experimental performance. Career highlights include Another Rose (Virgin Voyages), a 2020 Lucille Lortel Award nomination (Outstanding Musical) for In the Green (Lincoln Center LCT3), Joan of Arc: Into the Fire (The Public Theater), Death of a Salesman (BAM), and a 2010 Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Music in a Play) for A Play On War (The Connelly Theater). Ada resides in Brooklyn, NY where she writes and produces music out of her modest home project studio.