LGBTQ+ Community

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Alexander Rey Perez (Divine, They, King, He), widely known as Lexlyrics, is an intentional light worker with an unwavering commitment to fostering positive change in every community they touch. Through embodying the values of presence and visibility, Alexander has emerged as a catalyst for transformation in artistic, spiritual, and social justice spheres. 

Alexander comes from Dominican, Cuban, and Costa Rican lineages. Additionally, Alexander is a two-spirit individual with a trans experience. Despite facing challenges such as houselessness, extreme trauma, mental health issues, and surviving jail systems due to subsequent trauma, Alexander teaches us that, regardless of where you come from or what you endure, you get to decide what you make of it. That we are in fact creators of reality.

Alexander has been instrumental in creating impactful solutions within the DEI landscape. 

Alexander is also a facilitator, event curator, and a creatrix at his core. He is a poet and soon to be published author.

His contributions extend across diverse areas such as LGBTQ+ mutual aid, public health, community building, and intentional healing through art. As an adept event curator and clairsentient spiritual channel, Alexander lends his voice to empowering discussions.

Moreover Alexander’s commitment to his spiritual journey, rest, joy, and love is how he models unity consciousness in everything they do. 

Their engagements cover a spectrum of topics, including ethical and equitable philanthropy, the significance of employing and empowering individuals with diverse lived expertise, and the importance of heart-mind-body alignment in navigating various spaces.

Alexander is not just a speaker; they activate a frequency that inspires and uplifts while addressing critical issues with a passion that resonates.

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Delan Ellington (He/They) is a passionate fighter for Black Queer liberation in all forms. He recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University earning an M.A. in Public History with a thesis entitled “For Us, Serving Us, By Us: Prioritizing Black Queer Historical Spaces” based on research he’s collected leading the Rainbow History Project’s (RHP) ClubHouse Oral History Project. The Black Queer DC community now considers him one of the experts in the community’s history and the study of historical Black Queer Spaces. He’s the world’s foremost expert in The ClubHouse, a Black queer after hours disco that introduced House music to the DMV, was the center of the Black queer community between 1975 and 1990, and whose signature event is the precursor to DC’s Black Pride (the oldest and longest continuously running Black pride in the world) and the reason why it is held Memorial Day weekend.

Delan is featured in the 2022 documentary “Fierceness Serve! ENIK Alley Coffeehouse” A black queer short form documentary that world premiered at the 2022 DC International Film Festival. The CoffeeHouse is the location where the first generation of openly gay African American artists, writers, poets, and filmmakers congregated and performed. He was featured in Washington City Paper’s 2021 People’s Edition where they profile around twenty DC residents doing amazing, interesting, or important work in and around the DMV. Furthermore, he had the honor of being the youngest featured speaker at TEDx Foggy Bottom 2022, where he spoke on the importance of prioritizing Black queer historical spaces and publicly laying out a plan to begin to begin memorializing and stewarding them.

Throughout his 11-year fight for social equality and justice he’s been a member of many Black Queer Feminist organizations.  Currently, he organizes with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, a Black Femme & Queer led abolitionist organization. During their 2021 Boycott Nellies block Parties, He was a central and consistent Presence.  He has worked with BYP 100’s DC Chapter and served as chair of the board for No Justice No Pride’s 501c 3 application after organizing with them for several years. He helped lead the 2015 University of Missouri student protests that resulted in the ouster for the System president and the University’s Chancellor. For his work building and maintaining the racial, sexual, and generational coalitions that achieved their goals Delan was featured in Spike Lee’s Two Fists Up ESPN documentary, awarded the 2016 Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Award and Mizzou 39 distinction where 39 members of the graduating class were recognized for academics, leadership, sports, volunteerism, and/or impact on the campus community.

He has served a two-year term on RHP’s board of directors where he co-chaired the programs committee created and the Black Queer History Committee. Currently, he is in the process of initiating the Memorialization Committee where he aims to lead the group successfully applying for historical queer spaces in DC to be recognized on the DC and National Register of Historic Places.

He’s considered an innovative GNC trailblazer professionally and aesthetically. Delan’s bold looks have been featured in the Blade and Metro Weekly. In the international Gay Rugby community, he’s known as the person with the audacity to wear a full face of make-up during matches as to showcase the expansiveness of GNC identities and expressions.

Delan has over a decade of public speaking and presenting experience, which has enabled him to be comfortable holding the attention and interacting with any audience. These qualities are important, as they allow connections to be made and growth to be shared, and learning to occur. It’s important for him to give back to the community and spread knowledge about important events in queer history, especially those that center Black people and other intersectionally marginalized communities within the queer population.

Topics he can speak and present on include Black Queer Feminism, Black Queer History, Queer History, Black Queer Spaces, DC Queer History, History of Black queer organizations, Black queer luminaries, nationally recognized historic queer spaces, inclusion in organizations, mental health in the queer community (from personal experiences), and History of Dance music and how Black and queer people were central in its creation and longevity.

IG @ decultured84 https://instagram.com/decultured84?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=

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Gregg Gore (Uncle Gregg) is a 40 year survivor of HIV.  His Motto: ”  DON’T GET /     DON’T GIVE ” !!

After 40 years he has seen it all and done it all.
Gregg mentors 8 individuals and spoke at SYNC 2020.
After surviving the Hell of the early 1980’s he is now continuing this damn fight as an Elder Statesman.
“DON’T GET/DON’T GIVE” !!
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Laya Monarez is a transgender bisexual latinx artist, musician and transgender activist.  She studied art at the George Washington Corcoran School of Art and Design where she received her BFA in Fine Art focusing on Painting and Sculpture.  Laya has had many art shows through the DMV area and has worked on several murals as well.  Her artwork is inspired by science, surrealism and social justice movements.  Here activism is rooted in her need to uplift transgender people and educate the public on transgender issues.

Laya’s LGBTQ Activism started with her volunteer work with the DC Trans Coalition where she  helped to train police on Trans sensitivity.  While working with the Human Rights Campaign on their membership and operation teams Laya trained new employees on Transgender issues.  Laya has also given presentations at the bisexual Because Conference in Minneapolis, the Capital Building, Princeton University and the White House Among others.  One of her proudest moments is helping to introduce a bill to decrminalize sex work in Washington DC.  A bill she thinks will especially help keep black and brown transgender sex workers safe and healthy.

Please send her an email if you’d like to invite her to speak at your event or train your team on transgender and gender issues.  You can also view her artwork at layamonarez.com

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Star Peterson (ze/zir) is a non-binary, pansexual diversity trainer who is multiply neurodivergent. Star is passionate about helping healthcare workers, mental health professionals, and allies be more welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities. Star gives talks on pronouns, gender-neutral language, avoiding microaggressions, and unpacking cishet privilege.

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Vincent (he/him) is director of archiving for the Rainbow History Project, which collects, preserves, and promotes an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture relevant to sexually diverse communities in metropolitan Washington DC. He speaks to the history of metropolitan Washington’s LGBTQ communities, and also RHP’s archival collections, how to donate materials to the archives, and options for online research and onsite access to materials stored at the DC History Center.

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