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Nov 21 2023

Standing in the Fullness of Your Authenticity

November can be a strange month for me. Please allow me to explain. You see for me there’s a lot going on this month. First and foremost, it is Transgender ...
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Oct 9 2023

Finding PRIDE at Every Turn . . . (Or, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation”)

You might have noticed (probably not, actually . . .) that I have been off of LinkedIn since July for some much-needed R&R and overdue self-care. While I fully realize ...
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Jul 10 2023

Pride Month 2023 . . . . A Parting Thought

As this Pride Month comes to a close, I'd like to take a moment to remind all of you that consider yourselves an ally that doing so is an active ...
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Jun 23 2023

TD Bank hosts Stephanie for Pride!

A BIG THANK YOU to Stephanie Eckersley-Ray and Steven Garibell and the entire team at TD Bank for including me in last Thursday's AMCB Pride event! It was truly a transformative day for me and a ...
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Jun 21 2023

Stepping Back from the Abyss

I am so very glad that I listened to my wife Mari’s advice a couple of weeks ago as I sat down to write this blog at the start of ...
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Jun 20 2023

Pride Month 2023: Celebrating 100 Trailblazing LGBTQ+ Women

Well, I must say this was a very pleasant surprise! It's really an honor to be included among such an amazing group of women who are truly making a difference ...
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May 15 2023

Making Corporate America a Safer Space with Stephanie Battaglino

It was a real honor and privilege to lend my voice and perspectives on creating more diverse and welcoming workplaces to the #SpeakUpForEquity podcast with my friend and colleague in the DEIB ...
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Apr 18 2023

Trans Rights Are Women’s Rights

Somehow in the blur that was the month of March, I completely missed this WONDERFUL, thought-provoking piece from the ACLU's #WomensRightsProject director Ria Tabacco Mar. I speak often about how the warm embrace ...
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Mar 30 2023

Transgender Day of Visibility 2023 – An Inflection Point

As I sit down to write this it’s two days before the annual observance that is the Transgender Day of Visibility, or as it is more commonly referred to:  TDOV.  ...
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Mar 14 2023

One Human Family

As we move from Black History Month #blackhistorymonth and into Women's History Month, #womenshistorymonth, the beautiful and poignant words of Maya Angelou #mayaangelou give me hope at a time when there is so much hate ...
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Mar 3 2023

50th Anniversary of PFLAG National/Straight for Equality

Friday evening, March 3rd was a truly memorable evening as my wife Mari, son Andrew and I celebrated the 50th Anniversary of PFLAG National/Straight for Equality at the New York Marriott Marquis in ...
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Feb 25 2023

Anti-Trans Legislative Digest: A Rundown Of What’s Moving

My colleague in The Movement, Erin Reed, does an absolutely amazing job of tracking all of the hate-filled anti-transgender bills in various states of consideration across the U.S. in her #ErinInTheMorning column on #Substack. ...
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Feb 1 2023

UNDER FIRE: NEW REPORT OUTLINES A WAR AGAINST LGBTQ PEOPLE IN THE U.S

PLEASE STOP whatever you are doing and take a few minutes – it’s only 13 pages long – and read this wonderful summary report by the good folks at the MOVEMENT ...
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Jan 3 2023

New Year’s Reflection

As the calendar flips from December to January and another new year begins, I find myself – like I am sure many of you are - in a very reflective ...
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100 Women We Love

Jun 24 2022

GO Proudly Presents: 100 Women We Love, Class Of 2022

Well, look who showed up on page 79 of GOMagazine's annual feature of their Pride edition, "Women We Love." I am beyond thrilled to be included on this list with ...
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Jun 24 2022

LinkedIn Top LGBTQIA+ Voices: The 10 creators to follow in the U.S. and Canada

Beyond honored to be on the #linkedintopvoices list with such wonderfully important voices for the LGBTQ+ community. Especially, my friends and colleagues in the movement, Celia Sandhya Daniels and Fabrice ...
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Jun 14 2022

A Big THANK YOU to Gina Carriuolo and the entire team at Robinson+Cole! What a wonderful event! It was a pleasure and an honor to share my journey with each ...
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Jun 6 2022

Let’s Talk Gender Identity

What a privilege to be included amongst such an amazing group of voices for our movement! Thank you again for having me! Thank you for joining us for our #FARSIGHTFRIDAY last week ...
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Apr 1 2022

Stonewall Event

In mid-March, my wife Mari and I had the privilege of making our first trip back to New York City since the pandemic for two events that provided watershed moments ...
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Mar 31 2022

TDOV 2022 Thoughts: What is your relationship with vulnerability?

With Transgender Day of Visibility here once again, I find myself thinking a lot about the word vulnerability.  At one of my most recent speaking engagements I challenged the audience ...
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Photo Credit: John Demato

Mar 15 2022

National Speakers Association-NYC Chapter Blog Post

Two days after the book event at the Historic Stonewall Inn Mari and I found ourselves at the Scandinavia House on Park Avenue where I had the chance to speak ...
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Mar 1 2022

Stephanie Named Board President of TransNewYork

Earlier this year, I was honored to be voted in as the first President of the Board of Directors for an organization that is near and dear to my heart ...
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Nov 18 2021

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)

I’m Tired.  I’m.  So. Very. Tired . . . Year after year, transgender individuals like me, their allies and advocates gather around the world to honor, and remember, once again, ...
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Nov 12 2021

Episode: Into The Abyss

On this episode of #WalkTheWalkTalkTheTalk, I want to reflect on Transgender Awareness Week and share some stories with you regarding my experience. When we share our stories, in those vulnerable ...
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Nov 11 2021

The Importance of Diversity and Inclusive Language

Male privilege permeates every nook and cranny of society, especially the workplace. But what happens when the male privilege you enjoyed in the past is no longer part of your ...
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Nov 4 2021

BIPOC or POC? Equity or Equality? The Debate Over Language on the Left.

Creating inclusive cultures in businesses and organizations of all types requires making space not only for individuals of diverse backgrounds, gender identities, and cultures but also for the rapidly evolving ...
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Aug 30 2021

Pronouns

In this episode of #WalkTheWalkTalkTheTalk, you'll learn how to ask employees what their pronouns are. Asking someone about their pronouns may feel awkward at first, but it's one of the ...
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Aug 25 2021

Telling my story.

From a keynote that I delivered at the Museum of Public Relations’ Pride Month event, “The LGBTQ Experience in Public Relations: Visibly Proud.” That’s how it all began for me ...
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Aug 20 2021

Onboarding a #Trans Employee

Welcome to my new series: Walk The Walk, Talk The Talk. 📣 Today, I'll be sharing tips for onboarding a new Trans Employee. Together, we can help uplift the Trans ...
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Aug 19 2021

Reflections with Steph: Brave Olympians

I've been thinking about the bravery Simone Biles displayed during the Tokyo2020 Olympics, and how prioritizing her mental health brought the love of gymnastics back into her control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lGv6laCWvA
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Aug 17 2021

#InclusionAlliesCoalition Webinar: Favorite Quotes

This is one of my favorite quotes. It really helps me tell my life story. As a charter member of the Inclusion Allies Coalition, I shared a few tools on ...
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Jun 8 2021

Pronouns and Gender Identity

DEI consultant Stephanie Battaglino speaks with Jane and Colin about the challenges trans and gender non-conforming communities face in and out of the workplace. They discuss practical steps each of ...
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Apr 12 2021

#ILoveGay​ Today – Stephanie Battaglino: Follow Your Heart

#ILoveGay Today meets up with Stephanie Battaglino, an internationally recognized author, speaker, workshop presenter, trainer, and workplace diversity & inclusion consultant. We chat about her years of working as a ...
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Apr 6 2021

The Trans Experience in the U.S. with Gennifer Herley and Stephanie Battaglino

Dr. Gennifer Herley PhD., Founder and Executive Director of TransNewYork and Stephanie Battaglino, Founder and Owner of Follow Your Heart, LLC, join Fabrice Houdart to talk about the various lived ...
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Mar 16 2021

50 Years a Scapegoat: LGBTQ+ Community Once Again in GOP Crosshairs

Just the other day I posted on LinkedIn about a story that popped up on my news feed that caused me to experience a rather intense case of déjà vu. ...
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Feb 25 2021

“Age of Authenticity” Interview with Chris Decker

EPISODE SUMMARY Today we spoke about changing the narrative about the transgender community in the United States and globally. Seeking a more welcoming and inclusive environment for transgender and gender ...
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Feb 1 2021

Stephanie adds her voice to the release event for the HRC’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI)

In a global live event that aired on January 28th, the Human Rights Campaign released the results of the 2021 Corporate Equality Index and asked Stephanie to lend her voice ...
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Jan 13 2021

Joe Biden needs to push the Equality Act through in his first 100 days as President

Despite our victory in the Supreme Court last year in the Title VII cases (Rest in peace, Aimee Stephens), the only clear path to true workplace equality for transgender and ...
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Dec 28 2020

Reflections

A Reason for Hope In any other year, in any other decade, in any other century you might not necessarily need to have a reason for hope.  In the “before ...
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Dec 22 2020

Cool People with Katie Neeves

It was a real pleasure getting to spend some time with a fellow trailblazer, Katie Neeves, Trans Ambassador (She/her)!! Thank you so very much for having me on, my sister!
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Dec 14 2020

The Fragility of Elliot Page and the Transgender Community

Thank you, John Casey, for being so vulnerable in your commentary piece in The Advocate. My wife Mari and I are blessed to have a number of gay friends who ...
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Dec 7 2020

Supreme Court hands victory to transgender students in locker room case

This is a huge deal and a momentous development for transgender youth! Call me an idealist, but perhaps, just perhaps, we can move away from the bathroom as the flashpoint ...
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Oct 28 2020

The Disturbing History of Research into Transgender Identity

This piece by Jack Turban in Scientific American does a wonderful job of speaking to how the research community must evolve in developing and fielding scientifically sound research – free ...
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Oct 19 2020

Transgender America: 30 Killed And Fatally Shot Already In 2020

Will this epidemic of senseless violence ever stop? Will we ever have a Transgender Day of Remembrance service WITHOUT any new names being read? Trans people of all stripes are ...
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Sep 21 2020

Misgendering in Health Care and How to Improve

Although written for healthcare professionals, the concepts of misgendering and microaggressions are universal in that their occurrence cuts across all businesses - regardless of size - and industry segment. Please ...
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Sep 17 2020

LGBTQ+ voices: Learning from lived experiences

If you haven't read this report from McKinsey & Company, you really should. I have spoken and written at length about how companies must evolve from "policy to practice" in ...
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Sep 8 2020

What I Learned as a Parent of a Transgender Child

I absolutely love this story, which to be quite candid, connects so well with what PFLAG National/Straight for Equality was founded on - a parent's love for their LGBTQ+ child. ...
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Sep 1 2020

Transgender Rights in the Workplace

Attention California-based companies of all sizes! Wonderful and useful information for trans people in California, from my friends at SoCal ACLU and the State of California Department of Fair Employment ...
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Aug 6 2020

Two Steps Back — Rescinding Transgender Health Protections in Risky Times

A timely and detailed report from the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine which rightly points out, " In Donald Trump’s United States, transgender people apparently do not have the ...
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Aug 4 2020

Talking About Your Pronouns Is One Easy Way To Be A Transgender Ally

Always beginning a conversation with a trans person by identifying your pronouns first is a great way to demonstrate your allyship, of course, but it also tells that person you ...
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Jul 24 2020

Her death sparked Transgender Day of Remembrance. 22 years later, still no answers

If you want to better understand the history of the transgender community and the violence that many face every day of their life - especially my brothers and sisters of ...
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Jul 24 2020

Fatal violence against transgender and gender nonconforming people is spiking

Thank you for finding the words that elude me in my anger Charlotte Clymer: “There are systemic barriers in place that enable this epidemic of violence against trans people, particularly, black ...
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Jun 17 2020

What Zone are YOU living in right now?

Be honest with yourself. Living in harmony means growing and being uncomfortable with how that growth feels. {Chart was adapted by Andrew M. Ibrahim MD, MSc}
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Jun 8 2020

We Are All Connected

I have been trying to process all the events of the last 10 days and I find myself struggling mightily with my emotions and the words to express them. I am ...
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May 21 2020

What’s Going On??

To say that 2020 has not been a banner year thus far for the transgender community might very well go down as the understatement of all time. But to me, ...
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May 20 2020

What’s Your Pronoun? Strategies for Inclusion in the Workplace

As more and more companies move from "policy to practice" and imbue their cultures with a greater degree of inclusivity, the listing of preferred pronouns in company-related communication vehicles such ...
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May 5 2020

LGBTQ Employees and the COVID-19 Pandemic

My dear friends at Out & Equal (thank you Deena Fidas!) have produced a wonderfully comprehensive guide designed to assist companies in navigating the COVID-19 crisis for their LGBTQ employees. ...
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May 5 2020

Know Your Rights during COVID-19

From my friends at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), a very timely guide for transgender and non-binary people who may find themselves having to navigate the COVID-19 ...
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May 4 2020

We’re in a Pandemic So the Feds Plan to Revoke Trans Healthcare Protections

Once upon a time, in an administration long ago & far away, the Dept. of Justice and the Dept. of Health & HUMAN Services could be counted on to protect ...
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Apr 23 2020

Over 300,000 transgender people at high risk of serious COVID-19 illness

As we all struggle as individuals and businesses to deal with the effects of this unprecedented global pandemic - and if we truly live the values of #weareallinthistogether - then ...
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Apr 21 2020

Virginia Gov. Signs First LGBTQ-Inclusive Civil Rights Law in South

At last, some GOOD NEWS for the transgender community! A big thank you to the legislature and the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia! Let your leadership and your humanity ...
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Apr 19 2020

Supporting Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

It is beyond safe to say that "at-home" life has changed radically for all of us as we cope with the challenges of the day-to-day in the midst of a ...
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Guide to being an ally to transgender and nonbinary youth

Apr 14 2020

Guide to being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

I have posted a number of resources of late regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBTQ, and particularly transgender, community. While that is extremely important, it is ...
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Apr 6 2020

Transgender Rights Are Under Attack: A Useful Visual Depiction

In the wake of the simply horrendous anti-transgender bills signed earlier this week by the Idaho governor, I was asked by one of the awesome allies in my network, Rebecca ...
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Mar 31 2020

Public Opinion of Transgender Rights in the United States

On this, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, I wanted to share some important information from the Williams Institute at UCLA. While many states, like Idaho most recently, seem determined ...
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Mar 30 2020

Transgender Americans Belong: An Open Letter to America’s Employers By Aimee Stephens

Tomorrow, March 31st, is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), and while our country - and the world - adjusts to life that is very different from anything we have ever ...
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Mar 30 2020

Five Ways to Stay Connected, PFLAG-Style

Courtesy of my wonderfully amazing colleagues at PFLAG, a few timely suggestions for staying connected - at a time when we most need it.
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Mar 29 2020

Four Major Employers Join 40 Others Opposing State-Based Anti-Transgender Legislation

Is your company on this list? If it isn't, why not? Perhaps it is time to ask: how committed is your company to ensuring the rights and well-being of transgender ...
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Mar 22 2020

MAPPING LGBTQ EQUALITY: 2010 TO 2020

We have come a long way in ten years concerning LGBTQ equality in the workplace. HOWEVER, as you will see in this report from the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) there ...
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Mar 18 2020

The Supreme Court Doesn’t Understand Transgender People

And this is my biggest concern as we wait until June (!!!) for SCOTUS to rule. I have concerns that the ACLU's argument that Aimee Stephens is an "insufficiently masculine" ...
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Mar 9 2020

Stephanie Honored to be included in the 100 Important Transwomen List

Supremely honored that my friend and fellow activist, Monica Helms, who is the creator of the transgender flag, included me on this list with such awesome trans women, most of ...
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Mar 5 2020

You Can Learn a Lot About Workplace Equality from a Map (originally published in Sept., 2019)

Last summer I had the pleasure of presenting a workshop at the Gender Health Conference: Inland Region held on the UC Riverside campus in Riverside, California. To those that are familiar with ...
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Mar 5 2020

Transgender Day of Visibility is Coming Up on March 31st

From my friends at Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. Did you know that the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is coming up on March 31st? Perhaps you did, or perhaps ...
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Oct 22 2019

When it Comes to Transgender Workplace Inclusion Are You Resting on Your CEI Laurels?

So, the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index for 2016 (CEI) has been out for a few months now and there are a number of companies that are newly minted “100’s” – ...
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Sep 16 2019

Meet Stephanie Battaglino

After decades of living my life on terms other than my own, of running from my true self, of enduring waves of shame, guilt and denial, I decided enough was ...
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Aug 12 2016

We Are All Orlando

I feel so utterly deflated and numb by the hateful and horrendous events that have unfolded in Orlando.  I am in pain.  The wind has been taken out of my ...
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Jul 25 2016

Watch Stephanie’s Highlight Reel

For those of you that have never seen me speak or teach, please take a moment to watch. This reel was compiled from some of my most recent speaking engagements. ...
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Mar 22 2016

Stephanie Set to Return to the Forum on Workplace Inclusion

As she did last year, Stephanie will be returning to speak at the 2016 edition of the Forum on Workplace Inclusion sponsored the University of St. Thomas Opus College of ...
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Nov 17 2015

Stephanie Attends The Official White House Welcome Ceremony for the Pope

I had the honor, this past September, to be invited by The White House to attend the official Welcome Ceremony for Pope Francis’ first – ever visit to the United ...
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Jun 26 2015

Stephanie On Caitlyn Jenner – & Other Women’s Topics – On Huff Po’s #WMN

Earlier this month on June 4th  I had the pleasure to appear as a live in-studio guest on the the Huff Post Live show "#WMN," hosted by the wonderful Carol Modarressy-Tehrani. ...
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May 5 2015

Stephanie Serves as Consultant to Diane Sawyer & ABC News on Groundbreaking Bruce Jenner Interview

As I settle in to write this, 48 hours have passed since the airing of the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner.  17 million viewers, over 675,000 tweets and innumerable ...
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May 5 2015

Stephanie Meets the Creator and the Star of the hit series Transparent

Stephanie with Transparent series creator Jill Soloway, who received the SFE in Entertainment Award at the PFLAG National Straight for Equality Gala, March 30. Just last month I was fortunate enough ...
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Feb 17 2015

Stephanie Set to Appear at the 27th Annual Forum on Workplace Inclusion – Making Waves

On March 18th, Stephanie will be presenting an updated version of her signature talk “The (R)evolution of the Transgender Workplace Inclusion Conversation” in an interactive workshop format. If you live ...
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Dec 1 2014

Stephanie Adds Her Voice to The Huffington Post

Over  the course of a mere two weeks, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to add my voice on the Huffington Post website:  as a new blogger in their ...
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Dec 1 2014

Stephanie Named to PFLAG National Board of Directors

Earlier this month, I was voted on to the PFLAG National Board of Directors at the Board's most recent meeting in Washington, D.C. PFLAG National is the nation's largest organization uniting families, ...
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Oct 2 2014

See Stephanie’s Video Interview in The New Republic

I recently was asked to share my personal story of transition - not only from a workplace perspective, but also from a personal perspective for "The Next Republic" series on The New ...
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Sep 23 2014

Stephanie’s Capital Pride Media Appearances Highlighted by Interview on CBC Radio One Ottawa

As a special guest of the United States Embassy, Stephanie’s appearances during Capital Pride garnered quite a bit of coverage by the local Ottawa media outlets. Of particular note was her ...
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My Love Letter to Ottawa

The U.S. Embassy displays it's Pride! Where to begin? Over the course of a mere three days in this lovely city I experienced the warm embrace and graciousness of an ...
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Aug 5 2014

See Stephanie’s Keynote from the Network and Affinity Leadership Congress (NALC)

Stephanie responding to a question posed by Brain Baker,the General Manager of Diversity Best Practices On June 19th I had the extreme pleasure of keynoting at the NALC event held ...
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Aug 5 2014

Stephanie to Headline Major Events at Ottawa, Canada’s Capital Pride 2014

I am deeply honored to be representing the United States as a Special Guest of the U.S. Embassy and United States Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman at this year’s Capital ...
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Aug 5 2014

Stephanie Headlines the Voices of Diversity Event at PECO in Philadelphia

Stephanie answering questions from the attendees after her appearance at the Voices of Diversity event As part of my Pride Month engagements, PECO, the utility company for the greater Philadelphia ...
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Tipping the Scales of Acceptance – A Pride Month Reflection

As the month of June – Pride Month – comes to a close, I feel compelled to pause and reflect for a few moments on where the transgender community finds ...
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It’s a Very Busy Pride Month!

Pride Month is always a busy month for me, but even more so this year. It began in late May at the TLDEF Annual Gala fundraiser honoring Laverne Cox and ...
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Mother’s Day . . . Redux

Nearly a week has passed since Mother’s Day, and I must admit that it has always been a rather strange and sometimes difficult day for me.  But before you start ...
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Individual Acts Of Courage

Baseball and Running.  Running and Baseball.  For those that know me well, these two things are major aspects of my life.  Important and interchangeable.  They color my world in many ...
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My Journey Through the Gates – Revisited

For my first blog post from my website - I wanted to share a piece that I originally wrote back in 2005 when "The Gates" installation was in Central Park. ...
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Apr 14 2014

Getting the Language Right – The Transgender Conversation

By: Jennifer London, Leader, Member Experience, Diversity Best Practices Transgender, or trans, does not mean just one thing but rather is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity or ...
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Transgender Day of Remembrance Sermon 2012

Mar 20 2014

Transgender Day of Remembrance Sermon 2012

This is a very special video to me. This was recorded at a sermon I was asked to give at my former church, The Church of the Redeemer, in Morristown, ...
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A Question of Velocity

My friend Rachel and I were running a few weeks back along the top of the parking deck next to the hotel we were staying in for one of the ...
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An Absence of Compassion, An Absence of Humanity

So I suppose I’m one of the “lucky ones.”  Not only did I get caught up in the traffic hell of the George Washington Bridge “traffic study” last September, but ...
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A Different Kind of New Year’s Resolution . . . .

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions – but with good reason.  Permit me to explain by painting a picture of what they were like for so many years for ...
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The Kids Are Alright

“Behold the children and imitate them . . . They are interested in the present moment, in being curious and in learning, in showing and in sharing, in making and ...
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And So It Begins . . .

For those of you who know me and the contributions I've made to the movement for transgender equality - in particular with regard to workplace equality and inclusivity - I've ...
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