Workshop | Resilience and Pride: Lessons from Queer and Trans Communities

LGBTQ+ people, especially trans and nonbinary people, face stigma, marginalization and violence from every direction: from strangers, family members, service providers, and the highest levels of government. Yet, many of us manage to survive and thrive anyway. How? And what lessons can we learn from these communities’ resilience?

This session draws on research in LGBTQ+ mental health, along with wisdom from lived experience in queer and trans communities, to identify the resources and resilience practices that enable thriving in the face of oppression. We’ll discuss how lessons from LGBTQ+ resilience can help us become more resilient ourselves, build resilient teams, and support our LGBTQ+ loved ones and colleagues.

Meiver De la Cruz is a scholar, artist, and consultant who brings over 20 years of experience teaching in both higher ed and community settings, as well as experience in nonprofit and community-based advocacy. Previously she worked in International Regulatory Affairs in the biopharmaceutical industry. Meiver’s familiarity with such a wide range of organizational contexts brings a unique perspective to organizational consulting. She holds a BA in Economics and Business Management from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an MA from Simmons College in Gender and Cultural Studies, and a PhD from Northwestern in Performance Studies.