In one of her Instagram posts, multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater stands inside a picnic shelter at Cadron Settlement Park in Cadron, Arkansas. She wears a red plaid dress and black laced-up boots, with some of her tattoos visible on her legs and left hand. Her long, dark hair frames her face, and large hoops hang […]
Author Archives: JL Odom
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Queer social media experts weigh in on AI content moderation
Social media platforms commonly use artificial intelligence for content moderation, with the AI software itself relying on algorithms to screen content posted by social media users. Ultimately, the AI determines whether content adheres to or breaches platform guidelines. But issues can arise when a social media company loosens its restrictions on content, or if the […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Lived experience guides Tate Smith’s trans and DEI consulting firm
Five years ago, Tate Smith, then a legal secretary, decided it was time to share something about himself at his workplace, Clifford Chance, a major law firm in London. “I was like, ‘OK, I haven’t spoken publicly since I was in high school, and I don’t know if I can do it.’ But then I […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
For artist Marcel Pardo Ariza, representation matters
It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in San Francisco’s Mission District – a welcomed reprieve from the more-frequent chilly, overcast, windy and rainy conditions in the city this time of the year. The warmer weather translates to people being out and about, stopping by popular local establishments such as Bi-Rite Creamery and Market, Dog Eared Books, […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Lucid, with AI, aims to push the boundaries on streaming
Not many 28-year-olds can say they were a professional athlete, top of their class at an elite university, an investment bank analyst, and a global business development lead and now have their own company. But Indy Sanders, founder and CEO of the tech startup Lucid, can. “I don’t think there are any barriers within someone’s […]
Posted inCommunity
Nonbinary hairstylist gives clients the gender-affirming cuts they want
Every nonbinary and trans person’s gender-affirming care is specific to them. It might include certain personal identity changes, such as one’s pronouns, name, and gender markers on legal documents; weekly injections of testosterone or estrogen (i.e. hormone therapy); surgeries; and mental health support. Another way for a person to feel more comfortable with who they […]
Posted inDigital Equity Lab
Queer tech firm CEO takes a nonlinear approach to autism diagnoses
When it comes to a wealth of experience, subject matter expertise, and an interest in solving a complex problem, entrepreneur Amanda “Mandy” Ralston fits the bill. Her work offers a unique solution with the potential to improve people’s lives. “I don’t take myself that seriously, but I do take my ideas very seriously, and most […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
Trans artist Nonamey finds community, inspiration in Portland
San Francisco has the first-ever Transgender District, the Office of Trans Initiatives, a designated month to honor trans history, and the status as a sanctuary city for trans and gender-nonconforming people, but there’s another trans-embracing metropolis on the West Coast: Portland. It’s where multimedia artist Nonamey calls home. “It’s the city where I feel, in […]
Posted inCommunity
Trans entrepreneurs empower queer community through apparel
Length, width, fabric type, looseness or tightness — there are a number of reasons why a clothing item doesn’t work for a person. For trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals, ill-fitting clothes present another issue: causing, or exacerbating, gender dysphoria. With LGBTQ well-being in mind, two transgender entrepreneurs of apparel companies — Kylo Freeman, founder and […]
Posted inArts and Entertainment
LGBTQ+ social media platforms center on queer spaces, community connection
A gay man living in a rural area has recently come out of the closet and is looking for LGBTQ+ friends; a lesbian has moved to a new city where she hopes to find a local queer femme social group; a nonbinary person has started hormone replacement therapy and wants to share the changes they’re […]
Posted inNews
Queer financial planner reaches out to LGBTQs
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people took to doing or learning something new to fill their shelter-in-place days, keep boredom at bay, and move forward, in some way, during an otherwise standstill time. Entrepreneur Kerrie Carden decided to take the bull by the horns and change things up a bit. “During the […]
Posted inBusiness
National “PowerOn” program prioritizes LGBTQ+ digital equity
For LGBTQ+ people, access to the internet and devices such as smartphones and computers can have a significant impact on their lives. The devices enable them to connect with social and support groups, and find information about queer-friendly establishments, companies with anti-discrimination policies, and gender identity and affirming care. But for many in the LGBTQ+ […]