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Our Presenters

Keynote Speaker Helen Boyd Helen Boyd is author of My Husband Betty which was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Her second book, She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband was published in 2007. Besides being an author, Helen is an activist, academic and also partner to a transgender woman. Boyd's been running online groups since 2000 and has presented workshops at many conferences and has given keynote talks at gatherings such as First Event. Boyd’s writing has also appeared in anthologies and she lectures regularly at colleges. Boyd has also taught Gender Studies courses at Merrimack College (MA) and at Lawrence University (WI), where she also taught a course on transgender lives. She was also a finalist for a 2009 A Room of Her Own Foundation Grant.

Joseph Aufenthie Joseph Aufenthie is a graduate from Bowling Green State University with a B.A. in Women's Studies with a focus on gender. A former president of BGSU's Transcendence, and drag queen of size, he has life and educational experience dealing with gender variance and sizeism.

Melissa Marie Alexander, JD, CMP Melissa is a transgendered woman living in the Columbus area. She lives fulltime as her true self and has been in transition for over a year. Melissa has undergone FFS and underwent Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS) in May 2009. Melissa works as a meeting and event planning where she has obtained the CMP (certified meeting professional) designation which is only held by about twenty percent of her industry. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as the Director of Communications. Prior to her work in this field, Melissa practiced employment and labor law for twenty years in West Virginia and she has been admitted to practice in West Virginia and Kentucky as well as several federal courts. Melissa obtained her undergraduate degree at Northern Kentucky University in 1982 in Political Science (cum laude) and graduated 22nd of 140 in her law class at West Virginia University in 1985. Melissa is in a committed relationship with her partner Paula and she has two adult children from her previous marriage. Melissa is also very proud of her involvement with TransOhio and NCTE.

Tara McKenzie Allison, Esq. Tara is a resident of Columbus, Ohio. She was born and raised in south-central Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school in 1981, she enlisted in the US Navy and was trained as a nuclear reactor operator. After serving as an enlisted man for 2 years she entered the US Naval Academy in Annapolis and graduated in 1987 and was commissioned as a Naval Officer. According to the Naval Academy Alumni Association, she is only the second MTF transgender person that they know of that has graduated from USNA. Tara has known all of her life that she was transgender. Tara made the decision to transition seven years ago. She also decided to attend law school. She has always been interested in the law and felt that the legal community would be a more accepting environment than engineering to transition. Tara graduated from Capital University Law School and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 2005.

Adam Apple Adam Apple is the founder and troupe leader of the Cleveland Kings and Girls. Adam has been a performer for 13 years, has traveled the country performing, and has acquired 9 titles and 7 awards throughout his drag career. The most recent two awards he has received have been Transgendered Performer of the Year, awarded by Transfamily, for the past two years in a row. Mr. Apple is very active in the community and a strong community leader. He has sat before Cleveland City Counsel, aided in his own small way for the Obama campaign, regularly participates in the needs of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, and is one of the most recognized figures in Cleveland, OH with his willingness to help and speak up for others. For Adam Apple, it’s more than just performing that makes him tick. As a drag king, he has used the stage as a tool to educate, inspire, and make changes. Mr. Apple’s most profound message has come in the form of a performance entitled Stop and Stare. This performance has received national attention and is regularly used to educate others.

James Allen James Allen was the partner of a trans man. They were together for 8 months. Since the end of their relationship, James has continued to be an advocate, friend and sometimes advisor to his former partner on the many intricacies of modern gay life.

Ariel Ariel is the partner of a woman who is trans. Ariel met her girlfriend after she began transitioning and they have been together for two years. Her girlfriend is very selective about whom she tells about her past history; so Ariel is here representing the "stealth" partner experience. Ariel has a B.A. in Japanese and a B.A. in Women's Studies. She works in a law office and teaches English as a Second Language to Japanese students.

David Brandebura, R.Ph. David is the Director of Pharmacy at The Apothecary Shops in Columbus. In September 2006, David joined The Apothecary Shops, a family of independent, community pharmacies located throughout Arizona, Nevada and Ohio, and opened the company’s second out-of-state pharmacy. Prior to joining the company, he was a pharmacist at New Albany Surgical Hospital. David’s areas of expertise include ophthalmology, women’s health and diabetes. Through the American College of Apothecaries (ACA), he is certified in compounding and aseptic compounding techniques. David is a registered pharmacist in Ohio, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Tennessee and Arkansas. He has more than 17 years of pharmacy experience.

Stephanie Battaglino Stephanie is a nationally-recognized activist and speaker on transgender issues. She is the Communications DIrector for IFGE, the International Foundation for Gender Education, and sits on their Board of Directors. She is also the Chair of the IFGE endowmmwnt fund, The Winslow Street Fund. She is a member of the Transgender Advisory Committee of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the national organizarion promoting workplace equality for the LGBT community. Stephanei has keynoted at both the IFGE and Southern Comfort Conferences and is a Communications Director at Nw York Life Insurance Co., where she successfully transitioned on the job in October of 2005. She is the first transgendered person to do so in the 164-year history of the company.

Edward Bowers Edward Bowers was born in 1957 in Northeastern Ohio. His undergraduate work was completed at Kent State University and Graduate work completed at The Ohio State University in Educational Administration. Bowers moved to Columbus in 1988 and became involved in political activism. Volunteering in AIDS Education and Outreach along with mentoring within the Leather Community. Membership in The National Leather Association, Ohio Splash Swim Team, Centurions of Columbus, Titleholder in Great Lakes Leather Alliance in 2004. Contest Director in Great Lakes Leather Alliance 2006-2008.

Dr. James Buccigross James M. Buccigross, Ph.D., DABPS is a licensed clinical psychologist, and also a board-certified forensic clinical psychologist & neuropsychologist who has worked in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice & correctional systems for over 25 years and has had experience working with transgendered youth who have become involved with the juvenile courts and with juvenile detention & corrections. He has also worked with transgendered adults not involved with the justice system and has specialized in working with LGBTQ clients when he was previously in private practice prior to going overseas. Dr. Buccigross was also formerly Chief Psychologist for Her Majesty's Prisons (Bermuda Dept of Corrections) for the Government of Bermuda, Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs, & Public Safety, and Clinical Director of the Westgate Correctional Facility. He is currently the Northeastern Ohio Regional Psychologist for the Ohio Department of Youth Services, working with youth committed to the ODYS who are currently on parole in 19 counties in NE Ohio.

Heather Carpenter Heather Carpenter is the partner of a trans man. They have been together for 7 years and have 2 children. She is the owner of ftmsolutions.com, an online provider of products for trans men, and runs the YouTube collaborative channel TmatesFTM that hosts educational/information videos for partners of ftMs. In addition, her videos have been highlighted on the “Love My FTM Boyfriend” website.

Merâl Crane, M.A., L.P.C.C., I.M.F.T. Meral Crane is a licensed clinical counselor, sex therapist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and gender specialist in private practice (1973-present). She directed the Human Sexuality Center at the University of Massachusetts, Boston (1973-75); was therapist at O.S.U. Mental Health Clinic (1975-88); and clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the O.S.U College of Medicine (1978-2005). Over the last three decades, as Founder, Clinical Director, and Counselor in the Gender Program of Central Ohio (www.genderprogram.com established in 1979), she has been working with LGBTQI individuals, their relations and colleagues, aiding many in their gender affirmation process. Meral has done postgraduate work at the Masters and Johnson Institute; the American Association for Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists; the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research; the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; and at the American Family Therapy Academy. She regularly participates in transgender related national and international gender health meetings. She has served terms as president of the Central Ohio Psychological Association and the Ohio chapter of the American Association for Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

Joni Christian Christian has created a place to welcome and embrace all the people in such a way to find their inner (child) voice. It is from this point of restoring the passion we become who we really are. Joni, who started The Open Door Coffeehouse is in its sixth year. She is a community educator for Working for a Hate Free Society/All the People. She is also a video artist, musical soloist for religious worship, theater and public performance.

Dr. Elena A. Christofides, MD, FACE Dr. Christofides is owner & physician of Endocrinology Associates, Inc. which is located in Columbus, Ohio. Endocrinology Associates is an adult-only specialty practice under the direction of Dr. Elena A. Christofides. Dr. Christofides focuses on diabetes, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pituitary disorders, male and female hormone replacement, thyroid disorders and transgender issues. Dr. Christofides is dual board-certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and Internal Medicine. She received both her undergraduate and medical degrees from The Ohio State University. She completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Carmel Medical Center and her fellowship training in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Louisiana State University Medical Center. She is a Fellow in the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), the highest honor in her specialty. She is the current past-President of the Ohio Valley Chapter of AACE. She is also the chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Central Ohio Diabetes Association and a member of its Board of Directors. She is affiliated with Mt. Carmel Hospitals and with Specialty Select Hospitals..

Diana Britt Franklin Diana Britt Franklin has enjoyed a distinguished career as a journalist, public relations executive, and author. Born in England but raised in the United States, she began her career with the New York Herald Tribune. Subsequently, she served in various editorial posts – from reporter and columnist to section editor and managing editor – at two other daily newspapers, the San Antonio (Texas) Light and the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. Franklin’s public relations positions included press relations director for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and director of public relations for Avis Rent A Car Inc. She presently heads Franklin & Son, a corporate consulting firm in Columbus, Ohio. For the past 30 years, Franklin also has written Cookbook Nook, a syndicated column that Universal Press Syndicate distributes to more than 250 daily newspapers. In recent years, she also has authored or co-authored a dozen books, including the history of Capital University Law School, site of the symposium this year. The Good-bye Door, an award-winning true-crime book, is her latest release. Franklin, who transitioned M-F in 2004, resides in Ohio.

Cara Greenburg  Cara Sande Greenberg is a trans woman and a new resident of Columbus, Ohio. She has been apart of the trans community in Ohio for over two years. She is currently working on Found After, an oral history project to record the lives of trans people after transition. The interviews can be read in her self-published zine or online at foundafter.com.

David Hagelin David Hagelin, an active member of North Congregational Church since 2000, has chaired the church's Evangelism Board and will serve as moderator of the congregation next year. He coordinated the planning effort for "Called to Be: An Affirming Dialogue with the Transgender Community." David became involved in the church largely because of its "open and affirming" status.

Rev. Margaret Hawk The Rev. Margaret Hawk has been in service to New Creation Metropolitan Community Church for 19 years and has been an ordained pastor at the church since 1997. For 30 years, New Creation has been helping people to build bridges between mind, body and spirit; sexuality, spirituality and social values; politics, personal choice and the public good. Its passion is to provide a safe spiritual home for GLBT people and their friends and families. New Creation has had many homes over the years and now has its own place of worship on the south side of Columbus.

Kat Holtz Kat Holtz Is a Sexuality Educator and a Unitarian Universalist Atheist from Kent, OH. She trains various church and community groups in creating welcoming environments and advocacy for the transgender and BGL communities. She uses humor and chocolate in her presentations.

Nelli LaValle Nelli LaValle has been with her female partner for slightly over a year. They are both Psychology students at the Ohio State University with interest in working to improve overall health care for Trans patients. Nelli has been involved with progressive trans activism and advocacy for the past couple years.

North Congregational United Church of Christ North Congregational United Church of Christ is committed in word and deed to the equality of all God's people. We welcome and affirm persons of every race, gender, gender identity and/or expression, age, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, family status, economic status, physical, mental or emotional ability into the full participation, membership, and leadership in our faith community. North Congregational United Church of Christ is located in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Christine McGinn, D.O., Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon  Dr. McGinn is a plastic surgeon whose formal training was tailored specifically to transgender surgery. Her surgical practice includes FtM/MtF genital surgery, “FFS”, FtM “Top” surgery as well as general cosmetic surgery. She is the founder of Papillon Gender Wellness Center, with offices in Key West and New Hope, Pennsylvania. PGWC is a gender wellness co-op that includes many professional services in addition to Plastic Surgery, offered in a trans-friendly environment. Her focus is to promote the importance of a holistic approach to helping gender variant individuals. Her practice includes an emphasis on preventive medicine, aftercare, research, community outreach, and therapeutic support systems. Of special interest to Dr McGinn are long-term outcomes to gender confirmation surgery and contra-hormone therapy as they relate to improved quality of life and sexual health for gender variant individuals. Since her own transition in 2000, she has been an activist and speaker on many aspects of gender variant issues. She is frequently called upon by television and print media to comment on transgender topics. Recently, she has contributed to the PBS program “In the Life” on the controversy of transgenderism as a diagnosis in the upcoming DSM-V. In addition to her practice, she devotes time to many Universities and Medical Schools in order to train our future health care providers about the fascinating field of transgender medicine. www.DrChristineMcGinn.com

Shane Morgan Shane Morgan has been a resident of Columbus, Ohio for twelve years. He is the Founder and Director of TransOhio, whose mission is to serve the Ohio transgender and ally communities by providing services, education, support and advocacy which promotes and improves the health, safety and life experience of the Ohio transgender individual and community. Shane presents locally and nationally at conferences and often speaks about: Transgender Homelessness & Shelters; Trans & Queer Community organizing; Female-to-male transition; Domestic Violence & Safety; Coming Out at Work; Creating gender-safe & neutral spaces; Sex and sexuality and Butch & Femme Identities & Dynamics. He's a dynamic and passionate speaker and has a talent for engaging individuals and groups regardless of personal or organizational identity.

Stephanie Myers Stephanie Myers is a gender queer partner of a trans man. They have been together for five years. She has known her husband was trans since three months into their relationship. She has a degree in sociology with work in queer studies. Previously she has presented in classes for Otterbein College's queer student group FreeZone.

Jacob Nash Jacob Nash is an expert trainer and speaker on youth and adults who deal with transgender issues. He has worked to educate others about the struggles of transgender individuals throughout the nation over the past eleven years. Jacob is currently an independent trainer/speaker as well as going for his Masters in Psychology, Diversity Management. Just recently, he resigned as Executive Director of TransFamily, to concentrate more on school and trainings. As a training specialist he has worked with Children’s Social Service agencies to help them understand transsexualism and how they can help transgender youth as well as foster parents who care for them. He has trained social workers, case workers, medical professionals, as well as support staff in doctor’s offices on the importance of treating transgender clients with respect and care. He has provided transgender training to over 2500 people over the past two years since working for TransFamily. Prior to being hired as ED for TransFamily he worked for the Law office of SmithBarnabee and Associates LLC as their legal assistant. He has traveled extensively throughout Ohio and neighboring States to speak with legislators about the importance of inclusive language in bills where Civil Rights are concerned. Jacob has collaborated with many local and national organizations to bring a better understanding of transgender issues to light and to help them become more transgender inclusive.

Karen Patrick Karen Patrick, Co-Chair, moved to Columbus, Ohio in spring 2007. She came out as transgender to friends and family in 2004 after accepting herself in 2002 after a lifetime of struggling with her gender identity. Karen enjoys speaking about the following topics: Being transgender and living in Ohio; Impact on family life; Being a role model; Coming out and being out at school; Changing your name and the documents involved and Volunteering your time.

Milo Primeaux Milo Primeaux is a recent cum laudegraduate of philosophy from the Ohio State University, and is currently in the process of applying to law schools. Milo is a female-to-male transman who realized his transgender identity while attending Mount Holyoke College, one of the Seven Sisters schools. While there, he inititated the first dialogue with administration, faculty, staff and students about what it means to have transgender students attending a single-sex college. His work culminated in an intercollegiated conference hosted by Mount Holyoke to broaden the discussion with over a dozen colleges and universities throughout New England. He moved to Columbus in 2005 to undergo his physical and personal transition into manhood. Since his arrival, he has become a volunteer, board member and Treasurer of TransOhio. In addition, he is currently participating in the United Way's Pride Leadership Program, which trains early- and mid-career professionals from the LGBT community to effectively serve on non-profit boards.

Barbie Rogers Barbie is a post-op Intersexed Transwoman who still works for the same company she started with 15 yrs ago. Before she transitioned she had concerns on how family and friends would handle her transition. With regards to family, her mom wanted to go with her to Thailand for her surgery. Barbie's youngest child has been living with her since June of 2007. She continually provides education about intersexed individuals when ever possible.

Ellen Seigel, LISW-S, ACHT Ellen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, T/B/L/G activist, teacher and public speaker. She received her Master of Social Work degree from Yeshiva University and she has been in private practice for 28 years. She obtained her credentials as an Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist through the Wellness Institute in Washington State. She is a Certified Behavioral Therapist and has training in Trauma Memory Resolution, EMDR, Subtle Energy and Psychic and Spiritual Development and is a Reiki Master. Ellen is a member of the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, the National Association of Social Workers and the Heart-Centered Therapies Association.. She has received recognition for advocacy from GLSEN New York City and the New York State Legislature. In addition to treating people individually and in groups, Ellen teaches The Art of Communication, Relationship Dynamics, Meditation, The Art of Living in Recovery from Abuse(s) and Neglect, and other related subjects.

Angie & Skylar Seward Skylar and Angie Seward, who joined North Congregational Church early this year, have been active in the life of the church since mid-2008. They were part of the committee that planned and organized the event North Church hosted last fall, "Called to Be: An Affirming Dialogue with the Transgender Community." Skylar's goal is to one day pastor an "open and affirming" (welcoming) church. He currently is helping to organize an LGBT and Friends Team at North Church to help meet the needs and address the concerns of our LGBT brothers and sisters. Angie recently assumed the role of Sunday School superintendent at North Church and coordinates the monthly peer-led prayer group at North.

Briden Cole Schueren Briden Cole Schueren is a Columbus, Ohio artist. He has always had a different kind of perspective on life. He's extremely energetic and fast-paced. He's got a love of playing with movement which is why many of pieces tend to be very fluid while blurring the lines in-between colors. Besides art, Briden's other passion is rowing. He is currently a rowing coach for a women’s high school varsity team and couldn't be any more proud and happy to be part of that experience. In college, Schueren had to leave his rowing team because of "regulations." Thankfully, he's been able to get back involved with a sport that he loves! This collection, Blurring the Lines of Gender, explores, interweaving paintings, photographs, mixed media pieces, sculptures, and recycled materials and highlights elements of blurring the lines of gender and human interaction. Blurring the Lines of Gender explores just one of Schueren’s many artistic styles, namely a playful use of vivid colors and fluid movements, while playing with the gender binary.

Sile Singleton Singleton is a leading force in promoting the current, continuous and ever-changing development of the 'modern day' Drag King Cultural Explosion. Sile, a life student of gendered nuances and disruptions has been publicly engaged in visual representations of gendered identities for just about 14 years. Sile originally broke onto the scene with the now ‘famous drag queen character’, LUSTER as Lustivious Dela Virgion (LUSTY) grand dame and emcee hostess with the mostest. Sile's portrayal and insistence that "LUSTY" be situated smack dab in the drag king scene in Columbus, was and is critical to the current dialogue on bio-queen and femme narratives within drag king rhetoric. Sile is a co-founder of Fast Friday Productions, a premier booking, management and production force in 'queered entertainment, H.I.S. KINGS and globally known, first of its kind, big poppa to D.C.’s annual, The Great Big Drag King Show and the premiere drag king networking event, The International Drag King Extravaganza, better known as I D K E or I - DKE. Sile is fascinated with the intersections of race, class, age and gender, specifically in terms of mass popular culture. Sile is an activist of overtly covert subversive acts of resistance from way back. She is always reclaiming, re-examining and challenging the status quo within and outside of "drag king community." Not willing to be pigeon-holed as a drag king, queen, activist, parent, performer, writer, poet, playwright, Christian, wife, visionary, Sile's main vibe, you ask? Love, as Passion, Baby --- Shout it Loud and Act it Out --- however it goes --- Show Your Love, Baby, Love. Ms. Singleton is currently touring the nation with her premier one person multimedia show “PAINT! a transformative project,” and on tour with the Fo’ Dem Ladeez Tour which is a unique blend of live hip hop laced with innovative gender-bending.

Emma Southard Emma is a Social Work and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies major at the University of Cincinnati. Emma has participated in much leadership and diversity training and education through the Racial Awareness Program at UC. They have been involved with Genderbloc, a radical queer student group for over two years. In this group they have organized queer events, brought queer speakers and performers to UC, worked for trans-inclusive policies, and attended conferences. She also works at the University Wellness Center and as a Peer Advocate for Reclaim, which provides support to survivors of sexual assault.

Professor Mark P. Strasser Professor Strasser has been named Trustees Professor of Law at Capital University Law School. This appointment recognizes Professor Strasser's extraordinary and sustained commitment to legal scholarship. Nationally recognized for his scholarship in family law, Professor Strasser is the author of numerous books and articles in the areas of family law, bioethics, and constitutional law. His most recent books include On Same-Sex Marriages, Civil Unions, and the Rule of Law: Constitutional Interpretation at the Crossroads (Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002), Marriage and Same-Sex Unions: A Debate (Praeger Publishers, 2003), co-edited with Lynn Wardle, David Coolidge and William Duncan and Questions and Answers: Family Law (LexisNexis, 2003). Professor Strasser frequently presents papers at conferences across the country and internationally. His recent lectures have taken place at New York University Law School; the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association Conference in Turin, Italy; the Medical College of Wisconsin; Queen's University in Kingston, Canada; the University of Texas at Austin; Brigham Young University Law School; and Albany Law School. He also spoke before the Vermont House Judiciary Committee on interstate implications of Vermont recognizing same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships. Professor Strasser is a former professor of philosophy and taught at Illinois State University, University of Texas at Arlington, and Washington University in St. Louis. A member of Capital University Law School's faculty since 1993, Professor Strasser teaches Constitutional Law, Torts, Family Law, Jurisprudence, and a seminar on Sexual Diversity and the Law. Professor Strasser was the Visiting Tyler Haynes Chair Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law in 2001 and a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Maryland School of Law during the 1999-2000 academic year.

JAC Stringer JAC Stringer is the founder of The GenderQueer Coalition of Cincinnati and the Ohio Gender-Identity-Variance Research Project. He is currently employed as the LGBTQAIP Coordinator at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. A Cincinnati native, he has dedicated his activist career to bettering the city and the state for genderqueer and queer populations. He is a Walnut Hills High School Alumni (2002) and has a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. While attending the University of Cincinnati he founded the genderqueer radical activist group GenderBloc, the Queer Peer Education Program, and a Student Movement for a University-Funded Queer Student Center. In 2008, he founded the University’s first queer publication, The Queer Canon Zine, where he served as an editor and writer. He was a founding member of the Peace Village Project and a co-organizer of the GLOBAL Social Injustice Conference. JAC also volunteered with the UC RECLAIM program as a Peer Advocate for Sexual Assault and Partner Violence and a Peer Educator for Healthy Relationships. He was as a longstanding member of the University Women’s Center Student Advisory Board and served as a Queer Inclusion Advisor to the University Funding Board. He worked as a Volunteer Organizer and Session Trainer in the 2006 Public Allies Repeal Article 12 campaign and acted as the Queer Community Representative in the 2008 student government presidential race. He is a lobbyist on the Advocates for Youth Ohio Council for Sex Education Reform, an AmplfyYourVoice.org Front Page Blogger, and a GLSEN High School Gay-Straight Alliance Mentor for Walnut Hills High School. He is also a co-manager and performer for the internationally recognized professional drag troupe The Black Mondays. In addition to his work at Oberlin and with the GenderQueer Coalition, JAC is pursuing independent research in sexology and gender studies focusing on non-pathologized gender variance, GID reform, and queer sexualities.

Erin Tarr Bio coming soon.

Charleta B. Tavares Charleta is the Executive Director of the Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC). The organization recently conducted the first ever statewide cultural competence mental health needs assessment for the State of Ohio. Tavares is a locally, state and nationally recognized behavioral/ health, cultural competence and human services advocate, policymaker and speaker. Prior to joining MACC and Council, Tavares left a legacy for the citizens of Ohio during her 5 ½ year tenure in the Ohio General Assembly as the State Representative in the 22nd House District. Tavares was the first African-American female to serve in the state legislature from Franklin County(1993) and the first African-American woman in the history of Ohio to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly(1996) which opened the doors for other women to walk through. Tavares formerly served as the Chief of the Children’s Protection Section in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office (Lee Fisher). In this position, she played a leadership role in developing and advocating for policy and legislative initiatives to protect the health, safety, education and security of Ohio’s children.

Erin Upchurch, MSSA, LSW Erin Upchurch is the Community & Volunteer Organizer for Equality Ohio. She has over 10 years of experience advocating for and working to empower both individuals and communities; most recently with Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio as a Regional Field Organizer and Community Health Educator; she currently serves on the board of the Ohio AIDS Coalition. She completed her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University; her Master's Degree in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Ohio.

Sarah Wagner Sarah Wagner is the partner of a trans woman. They have been together for 13 years, married for 7. They have 4 children together. She has known her spouse is trans for a little over 2 years. She is pursuing a degree in Gender Studies and is a co-facilitator of the TransOhio Partner Discussion Group.

Rev. Eric Williams The Rev. Eric Williams has been senior pastor of North Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) in northwest Columbus since 2002. He graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1984. Rev. Williams was granted ordained ministerial standing in the UCC in 1999. In addition to pastoring Ohio congregations, he served six years as staff chaplain of local hospice agencies. North Church became an "open and affirming" congregation in 1996 and expanded its declaration of inclusiveness in February 2009 to include gender identity and/or expression.

Elizabeth Weiss Elizabeth has a master’s degree in psychology and is an educator and advocate for safer sex education. She teaches at the college level and does research on GLBT issues. She has presented workshops on safer sex, GLBT issues, and body image for various audiences.

TransOhio serves the Ohio transgender and ally communities by providing services, education, support and advocacy which promotes and improves the health, safety and life experience of the Ohio transgender individual and community. For more information about TransOhio, our board of directors, support groups, events and our work in general, please visit our website at: www.transohio.org or email us at TransOhio@gmail.com!