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 States. The invitation, which came via my association with PFLAG National, was quite an honor indeed and a personal highlight for me. It was made even more special because I was able to share the moment with my spiritual director, Sister Monica. Sister is a trailblazer in her own right, as she has – for a number of years now – ministered to the transgender community, albeit under the Vatican’s radar, but interestingly enough, with the full support of her order.
Representing PFLAG was our Deputy Executive Director, Beth Kohm, our Operations Manager, Paul Rocco and our Manager, Field & Policy, West Region, Cesar Hernandez. Being able to share this moment with members of my PFLAG family as well as with Sister Monica made for a day that I will never forget.
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- Sharing a very special moment on the South Lawn with my spiritual director and advocate for the transgender community, Sister Monica
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- On the White House South Lawn waiting for the Pope’s arrival with members of my PFLAG family. From l. to r. – Our West Region Policy & Field Manager, Cesar Hernandez, Deputy Executive Director Beth Kohm, Operations Manager, Paul Rocco and me.
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- A view of the South Lawn from my vantage point.
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- Pope Francis addresses the crowd in English
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- Souvenirs from a most memorable day.
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 to meet and spend some time with two key persons responsible for the creation and success of the hit series “Transparent.” As a Board member of PFLAG National, we honored the series’ creator, Jill Soloway, at the Straight for Equality gala held at the Marriott Marquis in midtown Manhattan. In her remarks, Jill spoke poignantly about the impetus for the series, which involved her father’s own transition.
Now in its sixth year, PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality Gala honors and celebrates some of the most powerful straight allies who are generating life-changing change through their work. The awards each year focus on areas key to moving equality forward, including the workplace, faith communities, entertainment, literature, sports, education, and more.
The highlight of every year those who support and are associated with the LGBT Community Center (“the Center”) of New York is the Center Dinner event. This year’s event was held on April 2 at Cipriani on Wall Street, and among the honorees that evening, Jeffrey Tambor of the hit Amazon series Transparent was honored with the evening’s Trailblazer Award. He was presented by long-time LGBT ally and fellow cast member, Judith Light.
Stephanie with Golden Globe-winning actor Jeffrey Tambor of Transparent, who received the Trailblazer Award at the LGBT Community Center of New York’s Center Dinner gala on April 2.
It was definitely a personal highlight for me, as the only transgender individual on the Center’s Board, to have had the chance to meet and briefly chat with Jeffrey at the event. In his acceptance speech he spoke poignantly about the transgender community and acknowledged the contributions of the trans individuals in the room – all of whom he did not necessarily know.
I will forever remember how he reacted to me when I told him that so many parts of Maura’s (the trans character he plays on the show) transition mirrored mine. He simply looked at me with empathy and understanding and kept repeating, “I know, I know” – because I truly believe that in living into Maura and learning about the transgender and gender non-conforming community – he truly does.
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 “Gay Voices” section, and as a guest panelist on “Huff Post Live.”
For the former, I was asked by my colleagues at PFLAG to write a piece about what the importance of trans allies means to me, especially as it pertained to my decision to come out at work a few years ago. Today, as it was then for me, the importance of allies – those individuals that advocate for and support members of a community other than their own – cannot be overstated. You can read the entire blog by clicking here.
The producers of Huff Post Live asked me to share, once again, my experiences raising my son in a segment about being a parent who also happens to be trans. The episode, which included other trans parents, provided a rich array of experiences that I hope you find engaging and informative.
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 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) appearance with host Amanda Pfeffer on the show “Ottawa Morning.”
She spoke with Amanda about her workplace transition story, as well as what it was like coming out to her son and to her family – all of which played a critical role in the timing and the pace of her transition. They are important considerations to keep prominently in mind for both transgender individuals and their employers.
Click on the following link to listen: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/ID/2493186367/
Prior to her Free to Learn Lecture Series keynote, Stephanie sat down with Julie Cruikshank of the Daily Xtra, the leading LGBT newspaper in Ottawa, along with fellow U.S. activist Cason Crane, to discuss the current state of affairs with the LGBT movement in the United States and with transgender rights in particular.
You can read the full story here: http://dailyxtra.com/ottawa/news/united-states-embassy-takes-active-role-in-capital-pride
The Metro Ottawa newspaper prominently featured Stephanie in a number of stories during Pride week, one of which featured her views on the Canadian trans-rights movement and that of its sister movement in the United States in advance of her keynote address at the Free to Learn Lecture series.
The full article can be found by clicking here: http://metronews.ca/news/ottawa/1123745/u-s-a-decade-behind-canada-on-lgbt-rights/
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 Pride. On Wednesday, August 20th at 5:00 PM I will be delivering the keynote speech at the Free to Learn + GLBT Conference. My talk, entitled “Free to Love . . . Free to Live!” plays off of this year’s festival theme and will feature my thoughts about the issues and challenges facing the transgender communities of Canada and the United States.
For more information please visit the official website of Capital Pride: http://capitalpride.ca/free-to-learn-glbt-conference-link-page/
And here: http://capitalpride.ca/festival/parade/parade-marshals/
In addition to this, I will also be speaking at the Human Rights Vigil at 8:00 PM on Thursday, August 21st. The Human Rights Vigil is an annual festival event that focuses on the LGBT human rights movement around the world, and is regularly attended by 100 members of the community, including members of Ottawa City Council and the Mayor, City of Ottawa community leaders, and members of the LGBT and allied communities. It will be held at the Human Rights Monument at the corner of Elgin and Lisgar in Ottawa and I will address the issue of transgender rights in the United States and around the world.