ellie june navidson is a blogger, poet, workshop facilitator, dressmaker, and all around crafty radical. Last year, in 2012, ellie was name as a Windy City Times 30 under 30 Honoree; this year, in 2013, she was named a Trans 100 Honoree.
ellie’s organizing has centered on antiwar activism—she compiled research, organized and facilitated community meetings, recruited youth involvement, and wrote a successful proposal for the District 214 Board of Education to provide its students an opportunity to opt-out of inclusion in a database used to recruit youth into the military (JAMRS), for example; environmental activism—she worked as a frontline canvasser for Greenpeace; and trans* activism—she is the co-founder of and safe space and community outreach organizer for No Boys Allowed, an intentional space for trans women in Chicago, and a safe space and community outreach organizer for Genderqueer Chicago. She also works at a shelter that serves queer young people experiencing homelessness before coming home to co-parent a queer kid.
ellie’s writing, which she has presented at a variety of conferences including Trans Week 2012 at the University of Iowa, Trans Studies Conference at the University of La Vergne, and the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, explores gender, normativity, radical visibility, and self-aware embodiment. Building off of and relating back to her writing, ellie has created and facilitated workshops on transnormativity and feminist masculinities; she offers these conferences at universities and community organizations throughout the country. ellie works to incorporate vulnerability and non-violence into her life while striving for social justice. She’s all about empowerment, brave honesty, and growth. Some essays and contact information can be found at her personal blog: invisiblyqueer.tumblr.com.