Let your gender flag fly freely | Jack & Kris Shultz | TEDxNewEnglandCollege

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. You don’t have to be transgender to benefit from the trans rights and gender liberation movements. Learn how gender, sex, and sexuality affect each of us and how, together, we can create change that aids everyone.

Kris:
From a young age, Kristopher has been involved in safer-sex outreach and HIV/AIDS prevention. He volunteered with Blue Mountain Heart to Heart, a local HIV/AIDS advocacy center, and helped to promote their needle exchange program, distribute safer-sex materials and advocate for free HIV testing. As a community college student, he held positions as the president, secretary and treasurer of the campus LGBTQ organization, PRISM. After receiving his associate’s degree, Kristopher transferred to Washington State University where he became the programming chair for the campus GLBTA. He became an assistant to the campus sexual assault prevention coordinator and worked for the Women's Resource Center. He also interned with the Education Access Coalition to increase access to tertiary education for non-traditional and marginalized student populations.
Kristopher is a co-founder and executive board member of the non-profit organization, Queer Sqouts. He participates in safe zone trainings, transgender sexual health seminars, and LGBTQ medical education workshops for healthcare professionals. Kristopher has served as a moderator for male/intersex/transmasculine sexual assault support groups and as a peer educator for the non-profit, Men Opposing Violence through Education. He currently works as an adaptive technology assistant for Student Accessibility Services at Dartmouth College. His interests include issues of queer youth homelessness and creating more accessible homeless shelters and campus environments. Kristopher is in the process of completing his master's degree in cultural studies at Dartmouth College.


Jack:
Jack's first foray into activism occurred when he became involved in the Coalition to End Hate at Washington State University. He served as a long-time volunteer for Women's Transit, and later worked as a first responder to incidents of sexual assault and domestic violence on campus under the direction of the Women's Resource Center. During this time, Jack also served as the public relations chair and treasurer of the WSU GLBTA, and held a position as the social networking coordinator for the Education Access Coalition.
Jack has been a long time mentor for youth with behavioral disorders and has served as a youth counselor in three countries. He is a co-founder and executive board member of the non-profit youth organization, Queer Sqouts, and he has served as a guest lecturer for high schools and universities on issues of gender socialization and the needs of LGBTQ youth. He has presented at LGBTQ conferences on safer-sex practices and sexual health, has moderated sexual assault and DV support groups for men/intersex/transmasculine individuals and has recently participated in transgender awareness and advocacy panels for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Vermont Law School. Jack is a web programmer for the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and his interests include the uses of online social networking for activist endeavors. He is currently working to complete an oral history manuscript on transgender activism. Jack is finishing his master's degree in creative writing at Dartmouth College.


About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)