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)
Want to improve your allyship for trans & nonbinary students or loved ones? This interactive presentation offers a space for gaining clarity, improving communication, and learning strategies for supporting trans people on and off campus.
Facilitators:
: With over 20 years of experience in services for LGBTQ+ individuals and community organizing, Lyndon delivers customized training and technical assistance in the education, healthcare, nonprofit, business, government, and recreation sectors. His background includes sexual health education, 10 years as a firefighter/EMT, and founding & directing youth leadership programs in Maine, New York, and Missouri. His work encourages individuals and communities to make institutional shifts, to improve interpersonal relationships, and to examine the beliefs individuals have internalized about others and ourselves. When not in front of an audience, Lyndon can often be found climbing rock faces across the country.
: With over 20 years of experience in services for LGBTQ+ individuals and community
organizing, Lyndon delivers customized training and technical assistance in the education,
healthcare, nonprofit, business, government, and recreation sectors. His background
includes sexual health education, 10 years as a firefighter/EMT, and founding & directing
youth leadership programs in Maine, New York, and Missouri. His work encourages individuals
and communities to make institutional shifts, to improve interpersonal relationships,
and to examine the beliefs individuals have internalized about others and ourselves.
When not in front of an audience, Lyndon can often be found climbing rock faces across
the country.: Brooklyn-born with an Afro-Caribbean background, Nala Simone Toussaint (GODDESS/SHE/HER/THEY)
works to advance the social and economic well-being of African Descendants, with an
urgent focus on queer, same-gender-loving people, transgender, and non-binary individuals,
and ultimately the entire community. She serves as the Director of Programs and Advocacy
at the Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI), leading initiatives to protect the rights
of Black transgender individuals and fight systemic violence. Nala is also the Founder
of Reuniting of African Descendants (ROAD), a trans-led grassroots initiative working
to end violence against trans and queer people globally.
Her activism was ignited in 2013 after the loss of a friend to transphobia, driving
her mission to combat racial and gender-based violence. Over the years, Nala has done
extensive work as an outreach liaison, conducting safe sex intervention activities
for youth and young adults and coordinating educational and job development services
at renowned LGBT public service organizations.
Grounded in her faith, Nala is a minister-in-training and Co-Director of FLOW Ministry,
fostering inclusive worship spaces. Her dedication to empowering marginalized voices
and creating lasting change is at the heart of her mission.
: Brooklyn-born with an Afro-Caribbean background, Nala Simone Toussaint (GODDESS/SHE/HER/THEY)
works to advance the social and economic well-being of African Descendants, with an
urgent focus on queer, same-gender-loving people, transgender, and non-binary individuals,
and ultimately the entire community. She serves as the Director of Programs and Advocacy
at the Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI), leading initiatives to protect the rights
of Black transgender individuals and fight systemic violence. Nala is also the Founder
of Reuniting of African Descendants (ROAD), a trans-led grassroots initiative working
to end violence against trans and queer people globally.