2:00 - 3:30
In conjunction with the Authentic Selves Photo Exhibit, a discussion with contributors of the book, Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families including Lana Patel, Anjali Rimi and Fresh “Lev” White, with moderator and contributor, Jozeppi Angelo Morelli. Listen as they share their compelling personal stories of triumph and joy despite the dangerous times currently facing the gender non-conforming community.
Jozeppi A. Morelli is a transgender queer man who is a retired law enforcement officer and 911 World Trade Center First Responder from New York City. In his retirement, he has found a second career as a gender educator. He has promoted the Authentic Selves Photo Exhibit and book on radio shows, podcasts and at in-person events across the country.
Lana Patel is an Afro Indo Caribbean trans woman hailing from the vibrant streets of New York City, now making waves in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. Armed with dual majors in Psychology and Fine Arts from Florida State University, Lana's academic pursuits mirror her dual passions: unraveling the mysteries of the human psyche and channeling her boundless creativity into tangible expressions. At the forefront of change, Lana serves as the Project and Community Outreach Manager for ParivarBayArea, a trailblazing organization championing the rights and well-being of the Global South TGNCI community. Yet, Lana's impact extends far beyond her professional domain. With a flair for the artistic, she effortlessly transitions between roles as a model, singer, dancer and makeup artist, enchanting audiences with her magnetic presence and profound storytelling ability.
Anjali Rimi (She/They) is the San Francisco Bay Area based award-winning Global South “Kinnar” Indian immigrant transgender woman activist. She is the President and Board Chair of the Center of Immigrant Protection that advocates and ensures LGBTQIA+ immigrant asylee rights through The LGBT Asylum Project and ParivarBayArea, centering Global South transgender immigrants. Anjali serves on the California State Legislative Unity Council as one of its advisors. Anjali is the co-founder and the most recent CEO/President of ParivarBayArea, America’s first and only transgender Hijrah Kinnar-led organization. She is the first of her intersectional identity to be recognized by California Legislative Assembly and Senate as a California LGBTQ+ champion, the first Indian trans immigrant to be recognized by the city and county of San Francisco’s OCEIA department focused on immigration rights, the first trans person in America to lead the pledge of allegiance at a US Citizenship ceremony, the first US-based transgender Indian leader to be given the PathBreaker Award by National Council of Transgender Persons of India, the first South Asian Transgender Woman to be recognized as Women of the Year by the U.S Congress, along with many awards and honors. Beyond her community work, Anjali also works as a civil servant for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Fresh “Lev” White is a love and compassion activist. He offers mindfulness, mediation, and diversity trainings as tools for shifting towards more authentic, conscious, and passionate living. He works with individuals, households, and professional teams. As a certified coach, and professional trainer, Lev has offered over 400 diversity trainings in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond. He earned his coaching and leadership certifications through the Co-Active Training Institute. Lev is also mindfully grounded at the East Bay Meditation Center, and a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leadership program. Lev offers secular mindfulness, and non-secular meditation in addition to Spiritual Counseling, and talks on Compassion in both corporate, spiritual and other private settings. He credits his ability to reach diverse audiences to his years growing up in multi-ethnic communities in New York.
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