Adrian Ballou
Adrian Ballou is a genderqueer writer, activist, consultant, and social justice educator. They received their Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, where they gained proficiency in Spanish, Hindi, and Urdu. In addition, they are a state-certified mediator and trained facilitator.
Adrian has founded/directed six youth programs focusing on topics ranging from food justice/farming/cooking to community organizing to youth ministry. They also consult with organizations on how to best improve diversity practices for staff and clients. They specialize in working with non-profits and schools/youth organizations on building best practices for trans, non-binary, and/0r gender non-conforming safety and inclusion.
Adrian writes on a number of social justice issues, typically with a focus on transgender people. Some of their work has been shared over 20,000 times, including by organizations such as the Transgender Law Center, and taught in university classes. You can read their Everyday Feminism articles here.
Location: Massachusetts
Book Adrian now!
To arrange to have Adrian speak at your event, please complete this form here and we will be in touch soon. Their presentations include:
- Non-Binary Identities 101 – Many people have some understanding of what “trans” means, but are not so sure about “non-binary,” “agender,” “gender fluid,” “genderqueer,” “bigender,” or any of the thousands of other words out there for people who are not solely male or female. The presenter will cover specific challenges non-binary people face in the world. It also will provide participants with a sense of what non-binary people need in order to participate safely in society.
- How to Make Your Organization More Trans Inclusive – Whether someone is just starting to think about ways that their organization can specifically include trans people, or they’re looking for new tips and perspectives, this workshop will provide valuable ideas and insights. The presenter will cover barriers trans people face to participating in various spaces and provide practical tips and solutions to ensuring that organizations are as equal and accessible as possible.
- Creating Trans-Affirming Youth Spaces – With interactive activities, practical tips, and space for self-reflection, the presenter covers challenges trans youth face in general, what aspects of these challenges can be controlled by youth workers and educators, and will discuss tangible ways to do the vital work of welcoming trans youth into institutional spaces.
- Feminism and Trans Identities – The presenter explores the history of feminist and trans movements, transphobia within feminism, and ways that cis feminists can engage in solidarity work with trans people.
- Youth Organizing and Adultism – The presenter covers what adultism looks like in many youth organizations, and then examines how adults can show up for young people in their lives and equip and sustain youth activism in just ways.
All topics can be adapted to be presentations, keynote speeches, or workshops and can be tailored to the audience.
If you don’t see a topic that quite meets your needs but think we can cover it, just let us know. We are also willing to create a signature talk or workshop for groups.