FROM A PRESS RELEASE
Antonia D'orsay of This is H.O.W., Jen Richards of We Happy Trans, Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler of Trans* H4CK, and Angelica Ross of Chicago House have announced that the Trans* H4CK and Trans 100 will partner for a weekend long event in Chicago.
The Trans* H4CK will start on March 28 at Dev Bootcamp, and the 2014 Trans 100 ( U.S. ) Live Event will be held on March 30 at Mayne Stage. The live event will celebrate and debut the second annual Trans 100 list.
The Trans 100 list is an overview of the breadth and diversity of work being done in, by, and for the transgender community across the United States. Last year's Trans 100 list included leaders in the community such as Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, Kylar Broadus, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Monica Roberts, Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, and many more.
The Trans 100 list intends to shift the coverage of trans issues by focusing on the positive work being accomplished, and providing visibility to those typically underrepresented. The inaugural Trans 100 list was released in 2013 and can be viewed at www.thetrans100.org .
"We're particularly excited that this year's list will be an entirely different group than 2013, our way of further showing just how much work is being done, and of growing the Trans 100 into a living resource, not only for trans people, but also organizations the general public looking to better understand our needs," said Trans 100 Co-Director, Antonia D'orsay.
The event will be hosted by transgender artist and advocate Angelica Ross, with keynote speeches by actress and advocate Laverne Cox and transgender athlete, advocate, and Project I Am Enough founder Kye Allums, and performances by rapper Kaycee Ortiz, a Chicago showgirls revue, and more. The event will be open to members of the Chicago transgender community, as well as select VIPs and donors. For information on becoming a donor, contact allison@thetrans100.com . In addition, the live event will be streamed online at gigity.tv/event/26151/ . The Trans 100 will encourage communities to host fundraising viewing parties to benefit local grassroots organizations and efforts working for trans people.
This year, the Trans 100 is partnering with Trans* H4CK, a hackathon and speaker series created by Dr. Ziegler. Trans H4CK radically shifts the ways trans people live by creating technology that economically empowers, improves access to social services, promotes gender safety and community sustainability, while bringing visibility to trans* led startups.
"Considering that Trans* H4CK focuses on creating technology for trans* people with the input of trans* people, it makes sense to partner with the Trans 100 in an effort to further highlight transgender activists that are changing the world for the better," said Dr. Ziegler.
Trans* H4CK will be held from March 28-March 30 at Dev Bootcamp in Chicago, and will include a mixer for participants and a fireside chat with transgender game critic and creator Mattie Brice. Projects will be presented to a panel of judges from Chicago's tech and trans communities. The 1st place winners of the hackathon will present their work to the Trans 100 audience and win a cash prize to encourage further development of their project.
"The Trans 100 and Trans H4CK are both projects born out of community needs, started and run by individuals who wanted to foster change through positive action," said Trans 100 Co-Director, Jen Richards. "We couldn't think of a better partner to create a destination worthy weekend of activities celebrating the full capacity of the trans population."
For more information, please visit www.thetrans100.com or connect on Facebook and Twitter.
About This is H.O.W.: This Is H.O.W. Inc. is a 501c( 3 ) non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the lives of Trans ( transsexual, transgender, and gender variant ) persons experiencing crisis situations such as homelessness, substance abuse, familial abuse, and transition related difficulties. For more information, please visit www.thisishow.org or connect with This is H.O.W. on Facebook and Twitter.
About We Happy Trans: WeHappyTrans.com was launched in early in 2012 in response to the lack of positive depictions of trans people in the media, and the absence of an online space that focused on the positive aspects of the trans experience. For more information, please visit www.wehappytrans.com or connect with We Happy Trans on Facebook and Twitter.
About Trans* H4CK: Trans* H4CK is a hackathon and speaker series that radically shifts the ways trans* people live by creating technology that economically empowers, improves access to social services, promotes gender safety and community sustainability, while bringing visibility to trans* led startups. For more information, please visit www.transhack.org or connect with Trans* H4CK onTwitter.
See thetrans100.com/2014-trans-100-u-s-live-event-trans-h4ck-featuring-laverne-cox-kye-allums-mattie-brice/ .
