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Wait…What?! International Transgender Day of Visibility Recording

“Wait…What?!” is a platform for candid discussion for the Women’s Fund community to convene on emerging issues we all face, albeit with varied challenges.

Our March “Wait…What?!” was hosted on International Transgender Day of Visibility. This discussion covered available services for folks of trans and gender diverse communities, updates on state legislation, and challenges service providers in our region encounter. We were joined by representatives from Tapestry, staff from Western New England University’s Center for Social Justice, and staff from Community Action Pioneer Valley.

Meet the Guest Speakers

Jessica L. Marcellino, Staff Attorney, WNEU’s Center for Social Justice

Staff Attorney Jessica Marcellino joined Western New England University’s Center for Social Justice in March 2021. Jessica graduated from WNE Law School in 2012 as a Public Interest Scholar. Her law school and professional experience centered on assisting those in need including positions with CPCS Public Defenders, Superior Court; Law Clerk for the Springfield Housing Authority; and finally, counsel at a private injury firm in Springfield MA for seven years prior to joining the CSJ. Jessica currently serves as the co-chair of the Access to Justice Commission’s Consumer Debt Subcommittee. Jessica oversees the Center’s client-facing initiatives and serves as the lead attorney of each of The Center’s free legal services programs.

In the summer of 2021, Jessica worked with two WNEU Law Students (paid through alum Gervino-Ward Stipend focused exclusively on LGBTQ+ legal work) to develop The Center’s newest initiative, the Gender-Affirming Identification Project (GAIP). GAIP provides pro-bono legal services to Massachusetts adults residents seeking to make gender-affirming changes to state and local government identification documents. The program was designed to be as comprehensive as possible and provides administrative assistance, legal information, and legal representation including necessary court hearings, notary services, and direct financial assistance for associated fees.

Morgan Aronson (he/him/his), Health Services Manager, Tapestry Health

Morgan Aronson serves as the Health Services Manager for Tapestry Health’s Sexual and Reproductive Health clinic in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Morgan has been a sexual health educator in the Pioneer Valley for over 15 years. Morgan rejoined Tapestry as a Health Services Manager in 2019 after spending 5 years working with a local hospital organization to assist in broadening access to care for expanded healthcare services, including gender-affirming hormone and surgical processes. Prior to this time, Morgan held roles at Tapestry as a Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselor and Office Manager for 7 years. Additionally, Morgan provides both small and large group trainings for organizations, schools, places of worship, and parenting circles, to enhance the knowledge of GLBTQ members of their communities and make their programs more inclusive. In 2020, Morgan helped design the informed consent gender-affirming hormone program at Tapestry, training clinicians and direct service staff across the agency. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management and Communications from Southern New Hampshire University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a focus on inequality and diversity in healthcare, largely with its target on the GLBTQ population.

Dan Lionheart, LGBTQ Program Specialist, Community Action Pioneer Valley

Bio not available.

Watch the previous recording of Wait…What?! on Gender, Care, and Unpaid Labor

Wait…What?! Gender, Care, and Unpaid Labor Recording