Stop Killing Us: Understanding Sexual Violence in the LGBTQ and Gender nonconforming Communities

Workshop Description

The purpose of this workshop will be to provide participants with the education and resources needed to extend a robust conversation around sexual violence occurring in the transgender and gender non-conforming community in North Carolina. Often transgender and gender nonconforming people are engaging in sex work as a means of survival and necessity; this makes this community susceptible sexual violence and harm. This training will allow service providers and practitioners to ask questions about how they can provide effective services to transgender and non-conforming individuals in this area. Additionally, this workshop will provide a basic understanding of who is the North Carolina LGBTQ and gender nonconforming community; what are the types of sexual violence experienced among these communities; what are the factors which perpetuate the sexual violence within these communities, as well as, how they can provide awareness and resources to these communities. This is an interactive workshop where participants will engage with the facilitator and with one another to explore the intersectional ways in which transgender and gender non-conforming people are deeply impacted by sexual violence and why now is a critical time for awareness around these issues within this particular community.

Presenter Bio

Crystal M. Richardson, Esq. is a North Carolina attorney practicing civil law in Durham, NC. She is an advocate for underserved communities and marginalized communities, and has dedicated her law practice to social and gender justice. In 2014, she served as the Director of Advocacy for Equality North Carolina Foundation, the statewide equality organization dedicated to passing non-discrimination policies and laws for all North Carolinians, including the LGBTQ community. On these issues, she has provided trainings and workshops at entities, such as LPL Financial and the Greensboro Housing Authority. Currently, she serves as the Co-Director of the North Carolina Black Women’s Roundtable, where she advocates for the rights and advancement of Black women in North Carolina. Regardless of the capacity, in which Crystal is serving — NC Black Women’s Roundtable, Attorney at Law, or Policy Director of the Crown Campaign Collaboration — she is not afraid to be a ‘disruptor’ and dive deep into the intersectionality ways in which laws and policies are truly impacting people. Her research interests include understanding social justice issues which impacting transgender and gender non-conforming; race/sex/gender discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations, and schools; understanding issues directly impacting Black women including hair discrimination as it relates to equal pay and health equity; and family and juvenile law issues.