This is an in-person program. We look forward to seeing you at the Museum.
In the United States, transgender people are regularly targeted for discrimination solely based on their gender identity. Positive steps toward visibility and equal rights are often met with hatred and harassment, fueled by disinformation campaigns that undermine and politicize the rights of transgender people. Join us for a discussion on the evolution of trans rights in the United States, the impact of anti-trans bias and legislation on the broader community, and the work being done to create a healthy, inclusive society for trans Americans.
This program is presented in conjunction with our current special exhibition, Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement.
There is no cost to attend this event, but registration is required. Register Here
Program Co-Presented with
About the Panelists
Carter Brown is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC), the first national, Black trans-led non-profit organization. Through his lived experience as a marginalized transgender man, Brown was compelled to found the organization in 2011 with a focus on initiatives to end violence, HIV, employment discrimination, and other disparities faced by Black transgender people. Now, with over a decade of extensive experience in engaging transgender communities, Brown’s prominent leadership of the organization has established BTAC’s community organizing and programming to be indispensable in the movement towards equality. He is a co-author of the U.S. Trans Survey, the largest trans survey done in the U.S. that vividly captures the economic, health, and social disparities of nearly 28,000 transgender respondents nationwide. His recent accomplishments include testifying before the U.S. Congress in support of the Equality Act, an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for transgender people.
TreShaun Pate is the Programs Manager for Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), where he develops intentional and impactful community engagement projects and initiatives, and is an advocate who works to create equitable policies and legislation in the state of Texas. He has an extensive background in policy covering several issue areas, including voting rights, LGBTQ rights, and reproductive health. His ultimate desire is to create a truly equitable Texas and nation. He was previously the Regional Coalitions Director on Beto for Texas’ 2021 gubernatorial campaign, where he organized grassroots and grasstops organizations, community members, and elected officials to meaningfully engage with eligible voters throughout the Gulf Coast Region. Pate is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and currently lives in Houston with his German Shepard/Lab mix Terra and his Bearded Dragon Grogu. In his free time, Pate enjoys playing softball, camping and fishing, and playing various musical instruments.
Diamond Stylz is a long-standing voice of the millennial black trans community. At 17, she won a First Amendment rights lawsuit against the Indianapolis Public School system, a victory that allowed her to go to prom in a gender-affirming gown instead of a tuxedo. At 19, she was the first openly trans woman to attend the legendary HBCU Jackson State University where she honed her passion for activism and education. She has used social media to document and archive trans people and events around the globe, produced and appeared on CNN, ABC, BET, and Hulu, and consulted with Insider to create the most comprehensive database of trans homicides and their outcomes thus far. Stylz is the Executive Director of Black Trans Women Inc, a national non-profit led by Black trans women focusing on social advocacy, positive visibility, and building strong leadership among Black trans advocates, activists, and allies, and the host and producer of the award-winning podcast Marsha's Plate, a weekly exploration of politics and pop culture from a trans-pro-black feminist lens that has garnered over 1 million streams.
About the Moderator
Leslie McMurray is the Transgender Education and Advocacy Association for Resource Center in Dallas. She was born and raised in Southern California and spent 33 years in the radio and television business before transitioning. Over the past decade, McMurray has conducted scores of trainings for a variety of entities, from Fortune 500 companies and HR managers from the National Hockey League to medical students, law enforcement, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has two beautiful and successful daughters and 5 gorgeous grandchildren. She lives in Coppell with her wife, Katie, and border collies Breezy, Molly and Patches. For fun, she’s a contributing columnist for the Dallas Voice and a frequent resource for Dallas television and radio stations on issues relating to the transgender community, and she is a half decent bowler.
About Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement:
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement, created to mark the 50th anniversary of a June 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York's Greenwich Village, explores the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the United States. The protests that followed the raid were a pivotal moment in the modern gay liberation movement and the ongoing fight for LGBTQ civil rights.
Rise Up highlights the events that led to the Stonewall Inn riots and how they energized the fight for LGBTQ rights. Through powerful artifacts, images, and historic publications, Rise Up describes key moments in LGBTQ history, including the 1978 assassination of Harvey Milk, one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials, the AIDS crisis, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s public coming out in 1987, the efforts to enact hate crime legislation, the implementation and later repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and the fight for marriage equality in the United States.
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement was developed by the Freedom Forum, which fosters First Amendment freedoms for all.