Foundations in Creating an Affirming Campus for Trans & Nonbinary Students
Friday, October 11, 2024
2nd Floor Murray-Aikins Dining Hall
8:30am-10:30am (Staff Only)
11:00am-1:00pm (Faculty Only)
As colleges become safer places for transgender students to self-disclose and advocate for their needs, many faculty and staff want to be supportive, but are often left with questions of how best to do that. This interactive session provides faculty and staff with a deeper understanding gender identity & expression, as well as promising practices for communicating with and about trans students.
2:00pm-4:00pm (Students Only)
Curious about what "transgender" or "non-binary" really mean? Looking for tips on how to support trans friends and peers? Questioning your own gender? Through storytelling and engaging visuals, this presentation will introduce concepts of gender identity and expression, give clarification on terminology, and share tips for communicating with and about trans people.
Facilitators:
: With 20 years delivering anti-oppression education and services for LGBTQ+ individuals, Lyndon Cudlitz provides customized training and technical assistance for educational institutions, healthcare providers, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, LGBTQ+ groups, and family members. As a teen, Lyndon served on the board of a queer youth nonprofit and is now the immediate past Board VP of an NYC-based LGBTQ rock climbing organization. Lyndon's background also includes sexual health education, services for survivors of violence, Deaf services, 10 years as a firefighter/EMT, and founding & directing youth leadership programs in Maine, New York, and Missouri.
: Nala is a Trans Afro-Caribbean Activist + Healer + Consultant. With a background in grassroots activism and community building, Nala works with organizations to spark impactful change through policy, activism, and education. Through shared humanity, she challenges notions of inclusivity and diversity to expand gender, racial, and economic equity at the corporate and executive levels. Nala is the founder of Reuniting of African Descendants (R.O.A.D). R.O.A.D is a trans-led, grassroots initiative invested in equity, collective growth, and healing for LGBTQIA+/SGL people of African Descendants. ROAD work is rooted in ending genocide against Queer and Trans people of African Descendants. In addition, Nala also currently engages and mobilizes transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) people, accomplices, allies鈥攗ltimately the entire community鈥攖o advocate for policies that will expand access to gender-affirming health care and services while addressing racial inequities. This is reflected through her work as the TGNB Health Advocacy Coordinator at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.