S2 E14. Woman and Change: Intersectionality with Cecilia Chung, Transgender Rights and HIV/AIDS Awareness Advocate

The Story of Woman

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In this episode, guest host Asha Dahya speaks with Cecilia Chung, a barrier-breaking advocate for transgender rights and people living with HIV. Cecilia shares her personal journey as a trans woman, from her upbringing in Hong Kong to her move to the United States in the 1980s.

Highlighting the experiences and challenges faced by trans women, particularly trans women of color, Asha and Cecilia discuss the importance of individual stories in humanizing the trans community and the impact of trans visibility. Cecilia emphasizes the need to focus on quality of life and highlights the revolutionary act of loving and accepting oneself as a trans person.

Asha and Cecilia also explore the intersectionality of feminism and the importance of inclusivity within the women's rights movement. Cecilia shares her journey as an architect of a groundbreaking transgender workforce development program in San Francisco and encourages other cities and lawmakers to replicate similar initiatives to combat anti-trans legislation.

Some topics we cover include:

• Cecilia’s personal journey as a trans woman
• The role of media in amplifying the stories of the trans community
• Cecilia's decision to share her story as someone living with HIV
• The current surge in anti-trans rhetoric in America, and around the world
• Challenges faced by trans youth, especially AAPI trans youth
• The Transgender Law Center, where Cecilia served as the first deputy director, and their work supporting the trans community today
• Unapologetically living an authentic life - and the threat this poses to some individuals
• The significance of including trans women in the larger women's rights movement, and how this can be improved by the current movement

And more!

Transcription is available here

Cecilia’s work:

• Website
• Transgender Law Center
• When We Rise - Cecilia’s life story inspired the character played by Ms. Ivory Aquino

Guest host: Asha Dahya

• GirlTalkHQ
• Book: Today’s Wonder Women - US | UK
• Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
• ReproFilm.org

Changemakers: How women make change happen

This is the first episode of the new Changemakers series which explores how women make change happen from those at the top helping to drive it. Each episode, we look at where we are on this long march to equality, what lies ahead, and how important you are in the fight.

In this 14-episode series, we’ll hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, and Afghanistan's youngest ever female mayor Zarifa Ghafari, among others. Guest host Asha Dahya speaks with co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement Alicia Garza.

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