This is Democracy – Episode 193: Transgender Rights and Inclusion

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Author and Activist Jo Ivester to discuss transgender rights, the transgender community in the United States, and the importance of transgender representation/inclusion for a thriving democracy.

Zachary sets the scene with his poem "Because Someday Maybe"

Jo Ivester is an LGBTQ and civil rights advocate, sharing her family's story as a way of helping others to step beyond their comfort zones when it comes to relating to those who are different from themselves. Raised in a politically active family, Jo spent two years of her childhood living in an all- Black town in the Mississippi Delta, where her father managed a medical clinic, her mother taught in the local high school, and she was the only white student at her junior high. This experience, captured in Jo's first book -- The Outskirts of Hope — led to Jo's lifelong commitment to advocating for equal rights for all.Prompted by the realization that her son is trans, Jo has recently broadened her focus to raise awareness about what it means to be transgender. Her second book — Once a Girl, Always a Boy — presents her son's journey, told from multiple perspectives, beginning when he was a small child, viewed as a tomboy. When not writing, Jo devotes time to her community, serving on the boards of Equality Texas, the Anti-Defamation League of Central Texas, and the Ground Floor Theater.