White LGBTQIA+ People & Trystan Reese
What does it mean to be White and LGBTQIA+?
Here we sit down with Trystan Reese (seriously, just Google him) to talk about what it means to hold the identities of White and LGBTQIA+ in the US today.
Some questions include:
What does it mean to be a person who is both White and Queer? A person who is White and trans?
Is there a difference between a White Queer person and a Queer White person?
What patterns are you seeing within White queer and trans community as it relates to racial justice?
How do we make sense of the vast overlap in the Venn diagram of White trans and queer culture and cancel culture?
How do we show up intersectionally?
Trystan Reese is an established thought leader, educator, and speaker, focusing on issues of transgender inclusion, social and gender justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is a professionally trained facilitator and curriculum designer, studying under Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington at the Social Justice Training Institute, mastering the art of anti-racist facilitation, consulting, and coaching. He studied Intercultural Organizational Development under Beth Zemsky and was mentored by Trina Olson from Team Dynamics. He has completed two immersive leadership training programs at Rockwood Leadership Institute and learned management skills and conflict resolution strategies from Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations. Trystan has also been organizing with the trans community for nearly two decades and has been on the frontlines of this generation’s biggest fights for LGBTQ justice.
Trystan launched onto the global stage as “the pregnant man” in 2017 when his family’s unique journey gained international media attention. He was invited to give closing performances for The Moth Mainstage in Portland, Albuquerque, and Brooklyn; the video of the Brooklyn event has garnered over 2.5 million views. Trystan partnered with many major media outlets, including CNN, NBC, People, and Buzzfeed, to bring his message of love and resilience to the mainstream.
As the founder of Collaborate Consulting, Trystan provides customized training solutions for individuals, organizations, and communities interested in social justice. He has trained hundreds of medical providers on LGBTQ inclusion, has delivered keynotes at dozens of conferences and convenings, and released his first two books just last year, “The Light of You” a book for 3-5 yo reading levels and then a book for older folks “How We Do Family: From Adoption to Trans Pregnancy, What We Learned about Love and LGBTQ Parenthood.”