Wendy Stuart and Steven Bloomer-Teague will be hosting TriVersity Talk this Thursday at 7 PM ET with featured guests Kym Dorsey, Simone Kraus, Juli Grey-Owens and Fran Sisco.

TriVersity Talk! is a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community. With TriVersity Talk!, the goal is to laugh and learn.

TriVersity Talk! Is part of TriVersity’s ICARE Initiative. ICARE stands for Increasing Community Awareness through Relevant Education. ICARE Programs are generously funded by The Greater Pike Community Foundation.

On Thursday, November 18th at 7 pm, join us for a very special 'TriVersity Talk!' featuring Simone Kraus, Kymlee Dorsey, Juli Grey-Owens and Fran Sisco. As we look toward Transgender Day of Remembrance, we'll discuss the values and risks associated with such a meaningful yet potentially triggering day. We'll also discuss the thin alliance between the LGBTQ+ community and what can be done to strengthen it. Finally, we'll dive into the Dave Chapelle special that's caused quite the uproar. You don't want to miss this episode!

SIMONE KRAUS is currently the Vice President of TriVersity. She is a retired Pipefitter of 40 years and has been married for 39 years to her wife Mary. Simone is a regular panelist for Gender Equality New York and has written articles for several newspapers. She is currently writing her life story, along with two others from community, to be released in 2021. Simone was interviewed for and appeared in the movie 'Rainbow Ending,' directed by Alan Kaplan which was an official selection at the 2019 Chelsea Film Festival in NYC.

FRAN SISCO is a very prolific entertainer and creative person spanning many varied fields in the NYC region. Launched like a rocket on 1/1/11 when she transitioned to being a full-time transgender female, Fran has been non-stop and (a) performed in over 200 shows, including cabarets, singing, comedy, variety and sketches (b) acted in plays, films and webseries (c) wrote, directed and produced 2 award-winning documentaries and 3 award-winning music videos of songs she created (d) wrote, directed and produced 3 short plays (e) participated in scores of art shows and exhibits for her paintings and award-winning sculptures (steel and wood). (f) curated, moderated and produced virtual shows on the subjects of kindness, fairness, race, diversity, equity and inclusion (g) founded and co-hosted the 12-year running Crisis Help Radio Show on WVOX 1460AM and http://www.wvox.com, (h) guest and advocate on shows, including cable and internet about gender, sexuality and race (i) frequent speaker and entertainer for non-profits and (j) authored over 100 essays, 200 poems and 100 songs. Fran claims that her expansive and diverse creative accomplishments are in part due to her life’s mix of 2 genders and her many years interacting her strong left-brain (40 years as a CPA and business expert) and her right-brain (insatiable curiosity, creativity, spirituality and love of people).

JULI GREY-OWENS, a New York State transgender activist, is the founder and Executive Director of Gender Equality New York Inc (GENY), a non-profit 501c3 NYS corporation whose mission is to advocate for the transgender, non-binary, and intersex communities. She was a Lead Organizer and driving force behind the campaign to pass the New York State transgender civil rights bill known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which was successfully passed and signed into law by Governor Cuomo in 2019.

In 2017, she was recognized by City & State magazine as one of the “10 People Making a Difference for LGBT New Yorkers” and in 2019 she was again recognized by City & State magazine in their Pride Power 100 list which recognizes the most influential figures in the LGBTQ community in New York.

Juli has a daughter, Sarah, and lives in Huntington with her wife Barbara and their three cats Fraidy, Bugsy and Lovey. When not leading a demonstration or speaking out for her community, she is an avid fan of the Mets, Islanders and Giants.

KYMLEE DORSEY is a lifelong resident of Albany who approaches her advocacy on behalf of the transgender community from a unique perspective. She was born intersex, raised by a loving and affirming family. The question of being male or female was less important to Kym than having people accept her. This has fueled her work on behalf of the transgender community. It stands to reason that Kym was drawn to roles that allowed her to help others.

Kym is enthusiastic about the work of GENY. She participates in local education forums speaking about what it means to be transgender and the distinct issues the trans community faces. She was the first trans woman honored by the City of Albany during Black History Month for her leadership in Albany and around the State. She also runs a support group for trans women of color and dreams of a day when she can open a shelter. For now, she is focused on developing Pop-Up Centers around the state where transgender community members can receive support.

Watch this special episode of TriVersity Talk! Live on Thursday at 7 PM ET on Youtube and Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/75258021683/posts/10159588590431684/?d=n

The official website for The TriVersity Center may be found at https://www.triversitycenter.org