My name is Mari Wrobi (They/Them/Theirs). I’m a 21-year old student at California State University, Sacramento. I’m a queer, trans and intersex person of color involved in the queer community in Sacramento through The Sacramento LGBT Community Center, the Gender Health Center, and the PRIDE Center at CSUS.
Creating Change
I have attended Creating Change, a conference and platform that has helped boost the voices of marginalized members within the LGBTQ+ community, and the Center is helping me raise funds to attend next month. For Creating Change 2019, I could have the chance to speak about intersex issues and experiences–a conversation that rarely comes up but deserves to be had.
I attended Creating Change 2018 with the Sacramento LGBT Community Center and 5 other LGBTQ+ youth. The conference allowed me and my peers to interact with LGBTQ+ folks from all over the country with people who have incredibly diverse experiences. We had the opportunity to engage with and attend workshops from those focusing on racial justice, disability justice, solidarity and community building, and more. My favorite workshop was definitely “Promoting Trans Mental Health and Wellness”, a workshop devoted to promoting self-care in the current climate. I also enjoyed the nonbinary POC caucus, which allowed QTPOC a chance to network and discuss overarching experiences.
After leaving the conference I realized I wanted to give back to the community in the way they gave back to me, through an educational presentation at Creating Change. I applied and was selected to present in 2019 in Detroit, Michigan.
This Year
I will be presenting on Intersex Advocacy. I felt particularly motivated to propose this workshop to Creating Change 2019 because of the lack of representation of intersex experiences and topics last year. There was not a single workshop, caucus, or discussion about intersex issues, and it is my belief that intersex people (such as myself) deserve a space to discuss these things within our community.
My workshop is titled “Intersex 101: Everything You Need to Know to Enhance Your Intersex Advocacy” and it focuses on the misconceptions of intersex experiences, how to advocate for intersex folks, and how to increase your intersectionality when approaching relevant topics.
How You Can Help
I hope you will contribute to my goal of raising $1,350 so that I can attend and present at Creating Change 2019! Every little bit helps me get one step closer to this incredible opportunity.
