Join us for a panel conversation about SB 140 and similar legislation in Georgia and why it matters to parents, medical providers, therapists, educators, LGBTQ folks, and anyone who believes in bodily autonomy and family privacy around medical care. We must respond to legislative attacks on children and families with accurate information, real-time community building, and coordinated response plans!

Chanel Haley, (she/her): Gender Policy Manager at Georgia Equality

As the Gender Policy Manager for Georgia Equality, Chanel leads efforts that ensure nondiscrimination legislation and policies in the broad areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, law enforcement, safe schools, access to health care, education and voter registration access is inclusive of transgender and gender variant individuals and communities. And helps to build relationships with businesses and corporate environments that may have little or no LGBT background and experiences throughout the state of Georgia. She works with elected officials and policymakers locally and nationally.

Sybastian Smith, (he/him): Organizing Director at the National Center for Trans Equality (NCTE)

Sybastian Smith is an LGBTQ+ social justice advocate, activist, Certified Health Educator and Medical Assistant of fifteen years. Mr. Smith has a dual Academic Associates degree in Medical Office Management: Administrative and Assisting, as well as an Associates of Science degree with a health science concentration while currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. His goal is to specialize in transgender patients' affirmative healthcare.

Dr. Izzy Lowell, MD (she/her): Medical Provider at Q-Med

Dr. Isabel Lowell grew up in Massachusetts, where she attended Williams College, followed by the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.  She completed her Family Medicine residency in Lawrence, MA, where she learned to speak Spanish through caring for the primarily Dominican patient population.  She moved to Atlanta in 2013 and joined the faculty at Emory University, where she started the Gender Clinic at Emory.  While working at Emory, she completed an MBA at the Goizueta School of Business, graduating first in her class. Dr. Lowell has attended conferences and worked with experts around the country to learn more about transgender medicine.  She is a member of World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), and gives lectures regularly to educate other medical providers and students about transgender medicine.

Mick Rehrig, LCSW, (he/they): Mental health provider & parent

Mick Rehrig, LCSW is an independently licensed clinical social worker who has specialized in working with trans/non-binary/gender expansive youth and their families and partners for over 15 years, and has seen the ebb and flow of how that translates to current times. He has provided advocacy, consultation, and support to mental health and medical providers and students, participated in advisory boards, been published, as well as spoken on numerous panels and supported clinical staff working with trans adults in research studies through Fenway Institute and John Hopkins University. He is a parent of 2 young ones and strives to continue to support the care and liberation for all living beings to feel free.

Kalie Giovanni, LCSW (she/her): Mental health provider & parent

Kalie Giovanni is a licensed clinical social worker who has been serving children and families for over 10 years. She specializes in affirming care for the LGBTQIA+ community, with a specific focus on equitable care for transgender, nonbinary, and gender expansive youth and adults and their families. In addition to providing individual, family, and relationship therapy, Kalie has worked with youth and families in therapeutic schools, residential treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, youth detention centers, outpatient practices, and in-home community settings. She has specialty training in trauma-informed care and parent support in addressing family dynamics and patterns.

Moderated by E.R. Anderson (he/him): Executive Director, Charis Circle

Charis Circle Executive Director, Errol "E.R." Anderson manages the programming, fiscal, and daily operations of Charis Circle, and is always interested in the ways our communities can share skills and resources. A native Atlantan, E.R. came to Charis as one of the founding members of the Young Writer's Group in 1998, and has enjoyed helping build connections between communities of activists, artists, and academics in this city ever since. E.R. co-facilitates the Gender Creative Parenting Collective and Trans and Friends.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we continue connecting across distances.

By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

A donation of any amount supports the work of Charis Circle, a 501c3 feminist non-profit, but it is not required for entry. 

The Care Our Youth Deserve: Gender Affirming Care is a Human Right Teach-In