Talk about Mental Health: Join the Self-Care Revolution

For Suicide Prevention Day, I am Calling for A Self-Care Revolution

By On September 10, 2011 · 9 Comments

In the US, suicide takes the lives of over 30,000 people each year. For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death. The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression. There are twice as many deaths due to suicide as there are for HIV/AIDS. And men, are at a higher risk than women. You would think that the LGBT community (in particular, communities of color) would make it a priority to address the stigma around mental health. But so far, the silence remains.

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Spectra Blog Journey

Year in Review: Top 5 Posts from Last Year

By On September 6, 2011 · 2 Comments

I can’t describe how powerful and affirming the experience of looking through pages and pages of words has been; from stream of consciousness prose to pensive morning reflections, from photo-poetry to snippets and chapters from upcoming book projects, I really am blown away by how far I’ve walked, mentally and spiritually. This blog alone is a testament to how much stronger and more confident my ‘voice’ has become and I feel so lucky to have gotten the support and engagement of my readership that I have. If you are relatively new to my blog, welcome! I encourage you to pick one or two of my top five posts to get to know me a little better.

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Queer Women of Color Still Face Racism During Pride, Among Other Things

By On June 9, 2011 · 14 Comments

Activism, for so many of queer women of color, is a constant negotiation of which ism to address. We don’t have the luxury of snubbing everyone that offends us, or we would have no where to go. We can’t — and shouldn’t have to — fight everyone. As a direct consequence, for queer women of color, standing up for what is ‘right’ in the face of racism, sexism, transphobia, xenophobia — all issues that significantly impact our community — can sometimes mean drastically limiting access to resources that we need as a community.

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We Will Not Be Unwritten: Preserving Queer Women of Color History

By On May 5, 2011 · 8 Comments

A few weeks ago, the Fenway Women’s Health Team posted a blog on Bay Windows about their upcoming 2nd annual women’s health fair. QWOC+ Boston had organized and tabled at this event for the past three years. Yet, written in an authoritative third person omniscient voice was the line, “Thanks to the [...]

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Kitchen Table Conversations: LGBT African Diaspora Speak on Culture, Queerness, and Media

By On March 17, 2011 · 6 Comments

In partnership with Women, Action, and the Media (WAM!), I’m hosting a virtual panel that features the perspectives of LGBTQ African Diaspora on African culture, queer identity, and the media.

The focus of the panel will in part be driven by pre-submitted questions from listeners, but will also aim [...]

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African Bloggers Statement on David Kato and Uganda

By On February 25, 2011 · 3 Comments

“We the undersigned wish to express our deep sadness at the murder of Ugandan human rights defender David Kato on 26th January 2011. David’s activism began in the 1980s as an Anti-Apartheid campaigner where he first expressed a strong passion and conviction for freedom and justice which continued throughout his life. David was a founding member of Sexual Minorities Uganda where he first served as Board member and until his death as Litigation and Advocacy Officer and he was also a member of Integrity Uganda, a faith-based advocacy organization.

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In Memory of David Kato: We Will NOT Abandon Hope for Fear

By On January 27, 2011 · 12 Comments

No doubt David’s brave words will resonate with activists and community organizers all over the world. His words along with Gloria’s call to action are enough to get me out of my rut, even though I am still sad, and still afraid. The truth is that even though, like so many other activists, I’m still trying to figure out my place in all of this, one thing is absolutely certain: I must do something. We must do something. We must NEVER abandon hope for fear.

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Activism and The Dark Side of Leadership

By On October 1, 2010 · 8 Comments

I decided against giving a call to action as my acceptance speech for the HistoryMaker’s Lavender Rhino Award. I went with something more personal, given the recent teen suicides, and shared some of my history with depression as well.

It is important for all of us to be open, transparent, and visible, so that kids/teens don’t feel so isolated, or like their struggles can’t be overcome. There IS strength in being able to be vulnerable, at least for the sake of connecting and inspiring others to push through their own hardships; relatability is an immediate action we all can take, while we rally to put pressure on legislation to crack down on cyberbullying.

Our youth are depending on us to be stronger in this way, for them. Let’s try to do better, by being better to ourselves.
It is important for all of us to be open, transparent, and visible, so that kids/teens don’t feel so isolated. There IS strength in being able to be vulnerable, at least for the sake of connecting and inspiring other to push through their own hardships.

Our youth are depending on us to be stronger in this way, for them. Let’s try to do better, by being better to ourselves.

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To Hell With Mainstream Press Coverage: Women, People of Color, and Trans People Should Create and Control Their Own Media Stories

By On July 14, 2010 · 5 Comments

As leaders of social change, we aren’t in a position to suffer “bad” press — which in our field, often means mis-informed, mis-quoted, downplayed, and at times, downright inaccurate press coverage on the social justice issues we care about. Our causes — “brands” for the sake of argument — aren’t celebrities who can afford to say “any press is good press” and wait for the next scandal to hit the stands. We must create content — write, contribute to the conversation, tell our own stories, and speak out whenever (and as often as) possible.

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Training and Speaker Services

By On March 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment

For High Schools, Colleges, and Youth Programs

I routinely speak at high schools, colleges, and youth programs on a wide array of topics and formats. I can create a workshop or facilitated discussion specifically for you that engages a diverse audience and incites critical and thought-provoking dialogue that’ll hopefully continue [...]

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