In addition to his writing, Sam is an LGBTQIA+ and mental health educator, as well as an engaging speaker.

With a passion for stigma-busting and impacting change through personal narratives and storytelling, Sam is quickly becoming a powerful and accessible voice for transgender, feminist, and mental health advocacy.

Sam’s presentations have been described as “poignant, insightful, sensitive, [and] inspirational,” and queer youth in particular have seen him as “a source of excitement and hope.”

Sam’s journey is living proof that being visible as a queer person with mental illness can change lives. With a confident and engaging presence, Sam has reached diverse audiences, acting as both an educator and an inspiration to people around the country.

Presentations

101 Level: Designed for anyone and everyone!

Transgender 101 (For Those of Us Not On Tumblr) – Ever get the feeling that this transgender stuff is just too complicated? Fear not – this presentation starts from square one, using simple terminology and analogies to break down the complexities of gender identity, expression, and more. Designed for anyone to understand and follow along, Sam sets the jargon aside and gives it to you straight (well, queer).

Mental Illness and Self-Love – After the overwhelming response to his article of Affirmations for People With Mental Illness, Sam designed this presentation to affirm, uplift, and empower people with mental illness (and those that wish to support us). In a world which continually denies our worth, this powerful talk explores the shame, guilt, and self-hatred that can accompany mental illness. Through personal narrative and affirmation, Sam encourages each one of us to reclaim our power through a practice of self-love.

202 Level: Ideal for students, clinicians, and advocates.

Transgender Mental Health: The Invisible Struggle – Sam has written extensively about the obstacles he has faced as a trans person with mental health challenges. From transphobic clinicians, to being denied surgery due to his mental illnesses, transgender people face unique challenges in accessing competent, compassionate care, and are an especially vulnerable population when we talk about mental health. Whether you’re a clinician or an ally, this presentation will address two big questions: What is the current state of mental health in the transgender community? And how can we provide affirming mental health care for transgender people?

A Movement for Everyone: Body Positivity For All Genders – While the Body Positive movement continues to affirm the worthiness of all bodies, it doesn’t have the best track record of including gender non-conforming and transgender people. In his article on language in the body positive movement, Sam explored the ways in which the movement has focused on cisgender people. In this presentation, Sam goes further, proposing a new body positivity which affirms and includes people of all genders.

What is Cis Privilege — And How Do We Dismantle It? – Expanding on his exhaustive list of 130+ examples of cisgender privilege, Sam designed this presentation to break down what cisgender privilege and cisnormativity look like in action, and how this relates to the bigger picture of transgender and gender non-conforming exclusion, microaggressions, and structural inequality. This presentation is created with allies in mind, with concrete strategies on how to check and wield your privilege in respectful and radical ways.

Let’s create something new!

Custom Presentation – Is there an article that Sam wrote that you’d like to see expanded upon in a presentation? Is there a topic you’d love to get Sam’s perspective on? Just ask! In almost any case, we can accommodate these types of requests.

Skype Workshop

Have a group meeting or organization that you’d like Sam to speak to? Working with a small budget? Sam is also able to facilitate workshops via Skype! Fill out the form below to request more information about this option.

Questions? Inquiries? Ideas? Fill out the form below: