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Academic, Writer, Speaker, Activist
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Joelle Ruby Ryan
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Hello and Welcome to my little piece of cyber land! My name is Joelle Ruby Ryan and I am happy you have chosen to visit my site. This site exists to acquaint you with my work as an academic, writer, videographer, speaker and activist. Since the early 1990s, most of my work has focused on the struggle for transgender liberation in the US. Back in 1993, I came out as a transgender person and have never looked back since. I have formed several groups to affect social change, made two video documentaries, published a book of poems, and taken part in many educational forums and activist events to forward a progressive political agenda. I hope you enjoy this site and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Email: joeller@bgsu.edu or jorubyryan@yahoo.com.
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BIO:
Joelle Ruby Ryan is a Ph.D. Candidate in American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Previously, she earned Master of Arts degrees in English Literature and Women’s Studies. Her master’s work focused on images of transgender people in film, television and literature. Her current research interest are GLBT Studies, feminism, queer theory, ethnic studies, film and media studies, fat studies and sex work. Her dissertation is tentatively entitled: “Reel Gender: The Politics of Trans Representations in Film and Television.” Her goal is to examine the ways that trans images function politically, and how they have shifted historically. What affect do these images have on furthering acceptance of gender diversity in society and on countering cultural transphobia?
Joelle has taught university-level classes in English Composition, Women's Studies, American Studies, and Ethnic Studies. In 2003, she designed and taught the first course on trans issues at the University of New Hampshire.
In addition to her academic work, Joelle is an activist and involved in artistic production. She is the founder of New Hampshire Transgender Resources for Education and Empowerment (NH TREE), a grass-roots trans group in NH dedicated to social support, education and political advocacy. She is the co-producer (with Peter Welch) of two autobiographical videos: 1995’s A Transgender Path and 2003’s TransAmazon: A Gender Queer Journey, which screened at film festivals in the US, Australia and the UK. In 2005, Joelle released a book of poems entitled Gender Quake. Gender Quake is a book of revolutionary poems that explores what it means to be a transgender individual in America.
In 2005, Joelle helped to organize Transgender Awareness Days at Bowling Green State University and formed the group Transcendence, which became a registered student group at BGSU in January 2006.
Joelle has spoken and key-noted at numerous national and regional conferences, community organizations, social service agencies and university and community college campuses.
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Visit Transcendence at : www.TransBG.org Visit NH TREE at : www.transnh.net Buy Gender quake: Poems at http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~33080.aspx Watch: Casualties of Gender at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjJYlJNyZr4
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BREAKING NEWS!!! My Mentor, Lynn Conway, Professor Emerita at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, recently received a letter from a lawyer representing Kenneth Zucker, psychologist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Gender Identity Clinic in Toronto, Canada. The letter accuses Ms. Conway of defaming Zucker because of a link she posted on her site to a page from the Organization Intersex International, a link that has been up for over 8 months. The charges are specious and easily proven as false by Conway and others. However, the chilling after-affects of this action are frighteningly clear: because Conway has published unflattering information about Zucker, CAMH and his cronies in the Gender identity Clinic, Zucker is firing back with anger at Conway, frequently called a “trans activist” by her detractors for her groundbreaking work to expose the work of those who impede the forward motion of the trans community. This latest development represents another important instance of the “Old Guard” attempting to shut down the gains of trans advocates who continue to courageously fight for freedom and justice. We will be discussing these important issues this week at the International foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) Conference in Washington, D.C. Upon my return, I plan to link to a report and further information about our session at the conference. For a report on this news directly from Lynn, please visit the following excellent report:
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Here is a downloadable copy of the letter sent to Lynn Conway by Kenneth Zucker's attorney Peter M. Jacobsen:
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