Please join us for Ask Me Anything, 2024, a community forum on "Understanding the Transgender and Nonbinary Identity" cosponsored by Wilton Library and Wilton Pride, on May 15, at 7 p.m., in the library's Brubeck Room.

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From breaking down gender and sexual diversity to rethinking historical and traditional assumptions around identity, this conversation is a must for all who wish to understand the transgender and nonbinary identity. Panelists will cover the following topics:

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• Understanding the transgender and nonbinary identity and community

• Importance of allyship in real life situations; understanding how LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly TNB, are impacted by bias; and an overview of best practices to protect safety and inclusion.

• Understanding what is meant by sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, and sex assigned at birth - their differences and how they impact one another.

• Language and definition of terms associated with the LGBTQ+ community, including lesser known terms. 

• Understanding notions of hetero-normativity, gender/sex binary, and cis-normativity.

• Rethinking social norms and expectations surrounding sexuality and gender in our society.

 

Panelists:

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Sarah Malhotra (she/they) is the Director of Education at The Rowan Center, and has worked in the prevention education field for 11+ years. She oversees prevention education programming on sexual violence for K-12 schools, colleges and agency partnerships. Sarah studied Sociology and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies at UConn, and is currently a Doctoral student in Physical Therapy at Mercy College. She ran a martial arts school in Westport, and holds a 4th degree Black Belt in Kempo Karate.

 

Ace Ricker (he/him) has been an educator and advocate for the past 20 years. Through his company A.C.E. LLC (Awareness through Communication & Education), he has worked with a wide variety of organizations, religious forums, K-12 schools, colleges, medical facilities and nonprofits, delivering workshops, talks and consultations on diversity, inclusion and empowerment, etc. He uses his experience as an openly queer, multiracial trans man to personalize his workshops with empathy and humor, creating content tailored to each unique audience. He has created 'Confident Conversations' to eliminate ignorance and empower people through awareness. 

 

Remy (he/him) is an author, graphic designer, and community organizer based in Brooklyn, NY. His work often centers around queer and trans people, and mentoring and volunteering with transgender teens. His project, "My Gay Love is Holy: Stories of LGBTQ People of Faith" was the first recipient of the Victor Ng Design Impact Award.

 

Submit questions for our panelists before the program here.