I'm still mulling over my experiences from being invited to the TED Ignite diversity scholarship program. There were about 5 of us trans folks at the conference, out of 2,000. A majority of us were in the Ignite programme (the exception was
Ina Fried, who was there in her journalistic capacity). We were brought in to shake up and change TED from the audience, by supporting each other in shaping conversations around the venue.
It was a challenging and emotionally draining week. There were three clearly transphobic TERF/banning care for trans kids/"biological reality of sex" speakers (Bari Weiss, Spencer Cox, and Carole Hooven, respectively), who were invited because their reactionary shit is somehow perceived as thought-provoking or controversial in this day and age. Billionaire Bill Ackman was invited on stage where he took potshots at the "three letter racket" of diversity, equity, and inclusion. "Both sides" were not represented given zero trans speakers were invited. And, to be clear, this shouldn't even be a debate with two "sides".
I was fortunate enough to be invited onstage for a 90 second rebuttal, and chose to specifically discuss the impact of Governor Cox's policies upon trans youth. But there are so many other ideas about the future (for instance, improving labour relations) that I'd have loved to present on instead if I hadn't needed to defend my community's basic humanity.
Making an event more inclusive isn't just about who you invite, it's about making sure that they feel welcomed both by other attendees and avoiding having speakers blatantly attack their human dignity.
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/9KOhR
