Greetings from London, where it’s Mother’s Day! We’re sending a special OutNEWS today on Sunday to announce something pretty special that Out Leadership & GenderCool have been quietly working on behind the scenes for the last year….
As you hopefully know, tomorrow is Transgender Day of Visibility, and over the last twelve months since Out Leadership’s first Trans & NonBinary Leadership Summit in New York, we’ve asked some amazing #outleaders from the trans community to tell their stories, to build a story-telling campaign. Because as we all know, stories are how we change hearts and minds…and so, I’m so incredibly proud to share with you what we’ve built (and self-funded, because we couldn’t find a sponsor ;)).
It’s called “HearUsOut.” Check out the trailer below, and follow the socials!
HearUsOut Trailer
When you click joinhearusout.com, (the site we’ve built just for this!), you’ll see 20 personal short stories of self-discovery from transgender and nonbinary individuals – Artists. Athletes. Veterans–and parents! It’s our hope that the world (and especially the United States right now!) will start to understand that transgender leaders are–and have always been–a part of the fabric of our communities around the world.
But while we’re talkin’ (as we say in North Carolina), I’d also like to point out that over the last 30 years, most of the world has come to understand that gay people aren’t that scary. Turns out, “allowing” two humans who love each other to commit to a lifetime of happiness didn’t somehow bring about the end of the days (at least MOST people understand that). In fact, quite the opposite has happened in the US since the Obergefell decision back in 2015. EVERY state that passed marriage equality before the Obergefell saw positive economic growth–even more than The Williams Institute first predicted! And last year, Williams re-visited all of the studies (92 of them!), and published this report, proving it.
Yes, my friends, we have the receipts!
My favorite study that Williams disproved in the Report was the “argument” made by the non-defunct “National Organization for Marriage” that allowing gay marriage would somehow decrease straight marriage rates. The report proved that in all the states that passed marriage equality before Obergefell, straight marriage rates actually increased!
In the same way, I truly believe that the same understanding is possible for the transgender community. Because it’s hard to hate what you love. And most of you have known and loved a trans person (whether you knew it or not).
So if you’re with me, and you’d like to help, here’s what I’d ask:
Record your own 1 minute video, telling YOUR story—whether you’re a trans person, a non-binary person, a PARENT, or an Ally—and post it to your social media on Instagram or TikTok tomorrow, use #HearUsOut, and tag @outleadership, @gendercool, & @joinhearusout!
But wait, there’s more! 😉
If you act now….you can still register to join the 2nd Annual Out Leadership Transgender & Nonbinary Summit—And, just like our Global Town Halls, anyone in the world can join in! We start in London tomorrow morning at 11am GMT, and then we’ll hand off to New York at 11am EST (click the city link to register!).
This year’s Out Leadership Trans & Nonbinary Leadership Summit has been made possible by Deutsche Bank (and my friend Jon Tilli), and will be led by stellar co-chairs Mila Jam, Devin Norelle, and Hannah & Jake Graf. We’ve got a phenomenal line-up of speakers from every generation of the Trans community from Laverne Cox to Caz Simone Fields to Darkwah Kyei-Darkwah, to my friend the phenomenal Jacqui Gavin!
And my girl Lina Bradford (who’s also speaking tomorrow!) even curated a vibe playlist just for the occasion which you can stream here. I hope you listen to the lyrics, and feel the love.
