Keynote Speakers & Featured Speakers

We are pleased to introduce Dorothy Allison, Leslie Calman, Kebo Drew, Elana Dykewomon, Rebecca Fox, Jewelle Gomez, Jessica Halem, Sandra Hernandez, Marjorie Hill, Amber Hollibaugh, Lorri Jean, JoAnne Keatley, Surina Khan, Madeleine Lim, Kate O'Hanlan, Francine Ramsey, Caitlin Ryan, and Carmen Vazquez as our 2009 keynote panelists and featured speakers.

Dorothy Allison is a writer, speaker, and member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. After writing poetry, short stories and essays, her breakout novel was Bastard Out Of Carolina (1996), followed by Cavedweller (1998). Both novels reached the New York Times Best Seller list and have won numerous awards. Allison has been an advocate for feminist and lesbian culture for many years. She started her career as editor for three different lesbian journals (Quest, Conditions and Outlook) and now speaks and lectures around the world.

Leslie Calman is Executive Director at Mautner Project: The National Lesbian Health Organization. Dr. Calman comes has a long track record of success in non-profit advocacy work and is an experienced manager, educator, advocate and activist. She has been engaged throughout her career both domestically and internationally in issues of human rights, social change and social justice, with a focus on the rights and empowerment of women. Dr Calman has served as a professor of political science and women's studies at Barnard College in New York and as Director of the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Calman holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University and has published two books and a number of articles on political movements and on women's rights.

Kebo Drew is the Development & Events Manager for Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. She has professionally managed fundraising and events for non-profit arts and community organizations, and corporations for 16 years. A Horizons Foundation Rickey Williams Leader Fellow, she is a member of the Frameline Board of Directors, where she serves on the Development Committee. She was the Film Program Chair of the 2006 Femme Conference. Kebo is an award-winning poet, writer, and dancer, and has performed throughout the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. A 2nd generation activist from Memphis, Tennessee, Kebo developed QWOCMAP’s signature Panel Presentation “Reels of Resistance: Film IS Social Justice Activism for Communities of Color.”

Elana Dykewomon has been a cultural worker and social justice activist since the 1970s. Riverfinger Women, her first novel, published in 1974 by the pioneer feminist press, Daughters, Inc., is #87 on The Publishing Triangle’s list of the 100 best lesbian and gay novels, but she thinks her Lambda award-winning Jewish lesbian historical novel, Beyond the Pale (Raincoast Books, Vancouver), is much better. Dykewomon was also an editor of the international lesbian feminist journal, Sinister Wisdom, from 1987-1995. A peace activist since college, she has also participated in many Second Wave feminist and lesbian organizations and is a fat rights activist. She stands with Women in Black in Oakland and San Francisco as often as she can.

Rebecca Fox is the Director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, leading organizations nationwide working together to improve the lives and health of LGBT people through advocacy, outreach, and education. She also teaches human sexuality at the George Washington University. She serves on the boards of Choice USA, a national organization that mobilizes and supports the diverse, upcoming generation of leaders who promote and protect reproductive choice, and the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force (WACDTF), a local organization working to ensure access for all women to reproductive health services. Prior to coming to the Coalition, Fox worked as the Assistant Director for Public Policy at SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

Jewelle Gomez is a writer and activist and the author of the double Lambda Award-winning novel, THE GILDA STORIES from Firebrand Books. She is the recipient of a literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts; two California Arts Council fellowships and an Individual Artist Commission from the San Francisco Arts Commission. Her fiction, essays, criticism and poetry have appeared in numerous periodicals. She has served on literature panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and the California Arts Council. She was on the original staffs of "Say Brother," one of the first weekly, Black television shows in the U.S. and "The Electric Company" as well as and on the founding board of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. She was an original member of the boards of the Astraea Foundation and the Open Meadows Foundation. She is the former director of the Literature Program at the New York State Council on the Arts and of Cultural Equity Grants at the San Francisco Arts Commission. She also served as executive director of the Poetry Center and American Poetry Archives at San Francisco State University. She is currently a member of the San Francisco Library Commission.

Jessica Halem's comedy and activism have been written about in publications as diverse as Fast Company, the Chicago Tribune and The Advocate. From 1998-2002, Jessica produced The Hysterical Women, an all lesbian stand-up comedy troupe. She has shared the stage with such notables as Margaret Cho, Jill Scott, Justin Bond (Kiki), Dirty Martini, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Karen Williams, Vicki Shaw, Bob Smith, Julie Atlas Muz, and Indigo Blue. She has won numerous awards including: 21 Leaders for the 21st Century by Women eNews in 2002, “Unsung Heroine” by the Cook County (Illinois) Commission on Women’s Issues and “Friend for Life” by Howard Brown Health Center. In 2006, Jessica made her LOGO TV premier as the sidekick to Red in the “Be Real” documentary. Most recently, she was nominated as “Best Female Comedian” at the 2008 Chicago Comedy Awards. Jessica has served as the Executive Assistant to former Congresswoman and feminist icon, Bella Abzug, and the Executive Director of the Lesbian Community Cancer Project.

Sandra R. Hernández, M.D., is chief executive officer of The San Francisco Foundation. She previously served as the director of public health for the City and County of San Francisco. She currently serves on the boards of the Council on Foundations, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and Corporation for Supportive Housing. She is also a trustee of the Western Asbestos Settlement Trust, and a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Implementation of Antiviral Medication Strategies for an Influenza Pandemic. Her prior affiliations include President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry, The Pew Commission on Environmental Health, Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Session on Philanthropy, American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and National Alliance for Hispanic Health. She is an assistant clinical professor at UCSF School of Medicine and maintains an active clinical practice at San Francisco General Hospital in the AIDS clinic.

Dr. Marjorie J. Hill is the Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the nation’s oldest AIDS service and advocacy organization. Dr. Hill previously served as GMHC’s Managing Director for Community Health where she had responsibility for the Women’s Institute, the Institute for Gay Men’s Health (IGMH) and coordination of agency wide community level health promotion initiatives. Prior to her tenure at GMHC, Dr Hill was the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of HIV/AIDS at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). At DOHMH, Dr. Hill had administrative oversight for HIV prevention, treatment, and research and housing programs. In addition, Dr. Hill provided oversight for over 400 prevention, care and is especially proud of the historic expansion of Syringe Exchange Programs, enhanced NYC inter-agency collaboration and the five million male and female condoms distributed annually during her tenure. Dr. Hill formerly served as a Commissioner for the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and as Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office for the Lesbian and Gay Community in the Dinkins' Administration. Dr. Hill currently serves on the board of the Public Health Association of New York, is a Senior Advisor to the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Research, Columbia University and on the Editorial Board of POZ magazine. A proud New Yorker, Dr. Hill is committed to a career in public service.

Amber Hollibaugh is Chief Officer of Elder & LBTI Women’s Services at Howard Brown Health Center. For many years, she created innovative National HIV and AIDS programs and was the first director of the Lesbian AIDS Project at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). A well-known activist, artist, writer, and community organizer, Ms. Hollibaugh has been working on cutting edge issues of the LGBT liberation movement since its beginnings in 1969. She is author of My Dangerous Desires: a Queer Girl Dreaming Her Way Home. She also co-produced and directed The Heart of the Matter, a documentary about women's sexuality and HIV risk, which won the 1994 Sundance Festival Freedom of Expression Award and ran on the PBS series, P.O.V. Hollibaugh is on the advisory panel of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, is a board member of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) and is a founding board member of Queers for Economic Justice.

Lorri L. Jean is nationally recognized as one of the most seasoned and effective leaders in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement. Jean currently serves as CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, the world's largest GLBT organization. Jean has been a lesbian activist for almost 25 years. She served as the lead plaintiff in the successful landmark lawsuit against Georgetown University to prohibit its discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Jean also spent two years as the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). In 2007, she was ranked 27th in Out Magazine's "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America".

JoAnne Keatley is the Director of the Center of Excellence for Transgender HIV Prevention at the University of California, San Francisco. Ms. Keatley received her Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Beginning at CAPS in 1999 JoAnne has directed numerous NIH transgender research projects and co-founded the Transgender Resources and Neighborhood Space (TRANS) project. She is Chair of San Francisco Transgender Empowerment Advocacy and Mentorship (SFTEAM) and has served on the UCSF Chancellor's Advisory committee on LGBT issues since 2000. In addition, she has consulted on transgender health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and at the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Surina Khan is Vice President of Programs at the Women's Foundation of California, focusing on investing in innovative organizations, strengthening the effectiveness of social justice organizations, leading in policy advocacy efforts and building broad-based social justice movements. Prior to joining the Foundation, Surina worked as executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and as a research analyst with Political Research Associates, a think tank and research center that studies, analyzes and publishes on the political Right. Among her many community involvements, Surina is currently on the board of directors of the Funders Network for Population, Reproductive Health and Rights; a member of the steering committee of the Los Angeles chapter of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy; a member of the advisory council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and on the National Advisory Council of the Lesbian Health & Research Center, University of California, San Francisco.

Madeleine Lim is the founder and executive director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. Madeleine is a long-time community organizer and an award-winning filmmaker with 20 years of experience. Her own films couple poignant visuals with contemporary themes: lesbians of color, survivors of domestic violence, and immigrants living in America. Her films have been featured at sold-out theaters at international film festivals around the world, museums, universities and broadcast on PBS. She won the 1997 Award of Excellence from the San Jose Film & Video Commission's Joey Awards and the 1998 National Educational Media Network Bronze Apple Award. From 2000 to 2003, she was California Arts Council Artist-in-Residence. In 2004 and 2005, the SF Board of Supervisors awarded Madeleine a Certificate of Honor in public recognition of distinction and merit for outstanding service to the people of San Francisco. In 2005, Madeleine received the LGBT Local Hero Award from KQED-TV in recognition of her leadership of QWOCMAP and her dedicated service to queer women of color. She was the featured filmmaker at the 2006 APAture Asian American Arts Festival and was twice-awarded the highly competitive SFAC Individual Artist Commission for her new film.

Kate O'Hanlan is a Board Certified Gynecologic Oncologist, and author of 41 peerreviewed journal articles. She is past President of The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, author of "Homophobia As a Health Hazard: Report of the GLMA", "Lesbian Health: Perspectives for the Treating Obstetrician/Gynecologist," the first chapter on lesbian health in Copeland's Gynecology Textbook, and published the first evidence of HPV transmission by lesbians. She is co-principal investigator of one of the first NIH grants to study lesbians with breast cancer. She has been an invited presenter on LGBT health issues at the National Institutes for Health, the President's Cancer Panel, the Office of Research on Women's Health, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She wrote the American Medical Women's Association policy endorsing adoption, custody, and the same-gender civil marriage. To increase peer-reviewed information on lesbian health, she founded the Lesbian Health Fund in 1992, which has fostered 47 articles, with 31 grants from over $500,000 donated. She is a Fellow of the Rockway Institute.

Francine Ramsey Francine Ramsey is the executive director and co-founder of the Zuna Institute, a Sacramento, California based non-profit national Black organization whose primary mission is to serve and support Black Lesbians. She has been a community activist for over 20 years working with civil rights organizations and various lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations of color. She has served on several boards and committees including, the NIA Collective, Black Lesbian Elder Speak Project, Lambda Community Fund in Sacramento, Oakland Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, the Outreach Advisory Committee for the first National Health Study for African-American Lesbians.

Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ASCW is a clinical social worker who has worked on lesbian and gay health and mental health issues since the1970s with a focus on the health and mental health needs of LGBT adolescents in families, schools, and out-of-home settings. Her contribution to the LGBT community has spanned more than 30 years through community development, advocacy, policy and research. She was an organizer in the lesbian and gay health movement in the 1970s, pioneered community-based AIDS services at the beginning of the epidemic, initiated the National Lesbian Care Survey to define lesbian health needs in the early 1980s, and has worked to implement quality care for LGBT adolescents since the early 1990s. In 2002, she started the Family Acceptance Project™ -- a research, intervention and education initiative that is committed to ensuring family support and healthy futures for LGBT youth. She is the Director of Adolescent Health Initiatives at the Cesar Chavez Institute at San Francisco State University.

Carmen Vázquez is the coordinator of the LGBT Health & Human Services Unit at the New York State Department of Health Institute. Formerly she served as director of Public Policy at the New York Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center and was the national director of Promote the Vote, the LGBT voter registration and mobilization project of the National Association of Lesbian & Gay Community Centers (NALGCC). She was the founding director of the San Francisco Women's Building and served on their Board of Directors through 1991. Vázquez served on the Board of Directors for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force from 1990 through 1993. In 1998, she completed a four-year term of service with the Board of Directors of the OUT Fund for Lesbian and Gay Liberation, a project of the Funding Exchange. She was also a member of the National Advisory Committee of the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership. Vázquez is the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) in New York.