April has 15 years of experience working in the HIV Prevention and Social Services Sector. She is currently a Linkage & Retention Specialist at the Trans Wellness Center in Los Angeles providing much needed wrap-around services to the transgender, non-binary, and intersex communities. 

 

These services include linkage resources such as Primary Care & HRT, Mental Health, Substance Use Recovery, Support Groups, Housing, Benefits Enrollment, PrEP and PEP, and Name and Gender Marker Change. Her passion for this work began through her special connection with the community and clients she serves– them being much like herself. Many clients find themselves thinking that there is no hope at the end of the tunnel; however, April is evidence that there is hope, having been there herself. She has made a life-long commitment to advocate for her community and other underserved communities at her reach and beyond.

Dr. Arryn A. Guy is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Rhode Island and an Investigator in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health.

 

Dr. Guy’s work focuses on community-based participatory research with queer and trans communities to develop and implement evidence-based behavioral health interventions.

Their community-engaged intervention work centers on healing from stigma and oppression, which includes dismantling HIV stigma, supporting all pathways to addiction recovery, and improving access to gender affirmative care.

Carla Ibarra (she/they) is a transgender rights activist and public health professional with more than nine years of community-focused work highlighting health equity and justice in BIPOC trans and non-binary communities.

 

She is a commissioner at the Transgender Advisory Council of the City of Los Angeles, advising the mayor on key issues affecting the trans community. At present, she is also pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where she continuously works to center the lived experiences of trans and non-binary people in health research and policy. 

 

Because of her work and dedication, Carla was featured in “The Power of Kindness,” a special documentary with Lady Gaga, in honor of World Kindness Day. In May2022, she was a part of the first-ever MTV Mental Health Youth Action Forum held at the White House. Advocating to transform mental health awareness into actual, tangible actions, Carla and other young leaders dialogued with US President Joe Biden, US Surgeon General Dr.Vivek Murthy, and mental health advocate and world-renowned artist Selena Gomez. 

 

Carla is a proud trans Filipina immigrant born and raised in Metro Manila. She now resides in Los Angeles, California, with her beautiful husband and three awesome cats named Chubs, Meatball, and Meatloaf. 

Danny Guerra (he/his/him) is a Salvadoran trans genderfluid writer and community organizer living in the greater Los Angeles area. Danny is an educator primarily focusing on alternative sexual practices, remodeling typical relationship structures, safer sex practices, and consent negotiations with a variety of identities. He has been creating educational and social spaces for qtibipoc community members since 2018. Additionally, Danny is the co-founder and facilitator of a virtual support space for disabled adults to talk about their experiences with sexual ableism. Believing community is an intentional action we must consciously opt into, Danny tries to find new ways to choose community every day. 

Jennifer Schwartz (she/they) is a licensed clinical social worker, and has worked as a therapist specializing in serving the LGBTQ community, PLWHA, and other marginalized communities since 2012. Additionally, Jennifer is privileged to provide continuing education to other health and mental health professionals on a variety of topics including care coordination, supervision, and cultural considerations for providers serving the polyamorous, LGBTQ, BDSM/Kink communities, as well as clients who are Fat/living in larger bodies. Jennifer currently leads the Behavioral Health department at Corner Health Center, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, following a 9 year tenure as a mental health leader within the Detroit community. She has served an an advisor to the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council, as well as participating on several state and community non-profit committees, focusing on service to marginalized populations. 

Jennifer received her MSW from University of Michigan, and her BSW from the University of Michigan- Flint, where she tailored her educational experiences toward sexual health education and sex therapy, as well as general mental health.

Jesus “Yarimah” Iñiguez is a Transgender-Gender Queer, Latinx visual artist from Chicago. They have worked in the field since 2015 and have collaborated with Columbia College Chicago, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago, The Center for Black Music Research and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. They incorporate Pre-Columbian American visual elements into contemporary U.S Latino/a/x styles.

Liza Kolbasov is a senior at Brown University concentrating in psychology and English, and an undergraduate research assistant on the Trans-Led Care Study. They are passionate about LGBTQ-centered research and mental health care, as well as research focused on intersections between experiences of stigma, social factors, and psychological issues. 

LLuvia has been working in the HIV field since 2007, working within transgender communities of color and with black and brown LGBTQIA youth. She is currently the Senior Program Manager for AID Healthcare Foundations’ Public Health Division in Chicago. LLuvia also has been working as a Capacity Building Specialist for the San Francisco Health Department for the last 5 years. She sits on various Boards of Directors in the Chicagoland Area and was the Program Manager for the First CDC grant for Transgender Communities of Color at Howard Brown Health. 

Olly (They/He) is a trans, nonbinary Research Assistant and study Navigator within Brown University. They received their BSc in Psychology and Criminal Justice & Criminology (minor in Political Science) from Loyola University Chicago. Prior to joining the Brown community, Olly worked as a Clinical Research Assistant with justice-involved youth and autistic youth/young adults, respectively. He is particularly interested in research focused on the experiences of those who’ve endured complex trauma, as well as the development of psychometric instruments. In their personal life, Olly fosters cute animals and fervently enjoys all forms of art.

Ravn Thor Hegland is a published author, ritualist, advocate, educator, ordained minister through the Universal Life church, pagan leader, graduate student, and counselor in training. He is a proud mixed-race(white/Indigenous) eclectic pagan queer transgender man who grew up in rural Western North Dakota as the only out queer person in his high school.

 

Ravn Thor now hails from the frozen north of Moorhead, MN where he is a First Generation Graduate Student completing his Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling this Fall semester. He is also jack of all trades in the field of divination and alternative spiritualities.

Ravn Thor writes and facilitates rituals, groups, and workshops that are transformative, empowering, and pure magick. His ritual soon to become book, “Keepers of the Veil: Queer as Sacred, Reclaiming our spiritual heritage, and initiating into our power,” was performed at Paganicon 2023 in Minneapolis and was part of the Fargo Moorhead Pride Interfaith Service where he read an original invocation of the elements and shared his story.

 

Ravn Thor provides consultation, and talks/psychoeducation regarding LGBTQIA+ issues, mental health, and other topics. He is passionate about spirituality, self-care/community-care, and finding the stars during times of darkness.

Storm Gaustria (she/they) is an Afro-Indigenous trans activist, educator, and queer researcher in Gainesville, Florida. She’s a third-year student at the University of Florida studying Sociology. She aspires to become a mental health therapist specializing in care for LGBTQIA* people of color.