FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lansing, MI—Schuyler Bailar, the first trans NCAA D1 men’s athlete, and Imani Barbarin, masterfully witty and incisive disability rights activist, will headline the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference this October in Columbus. The theme of the annual conference is Limitless: Queer Activism of the Future.
Schuyler Bailar (he/him) is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team. By 15, he was one of the nation’s top-20 15-year-old breast-strokers. By 17, he set a national age-group record. In college, he swam for Harvard University, on Harvard’s winningest team in 50 years. Schuyler’s difficult choice – to transition while potentially giving up the prospect of being an NCAA Champion – was historic. His story has appeared everywhere from 60 Minutes to The Washington Post. Schuyler’s tireless advocacy has earned him numerous honors including LGBTQ Nation’s Instagram Advocate for 2020. In 2021, Schuyler also released his first middle-grade novel, Obie Is Man Enough. And in 2022, Schuyler created LaneChanger.com making gender literacy education accessible to every team, school and company.
Imani Barbarin (she/her) is a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker who uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a disabled black woman. In the last few years she has created over a dozen trending hashtags that allow disabled folk the opportunity to have their perspectives heard while forcing the world to take notice. #PatientsAreNotFaking, #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow, #AbledsAreWeird and others each provide a window into disabled life while forming community. Imani is from the Philadelphia area and holds a master’s in global communications from the American University of Paris, her published works include those in Forbes, Rewire, Healthline, BitchMedia, and more. She runs the blog CrutchesAndSpice.com and a podcast of the same name. She currently serves as the communications director for a nonprofit in Pennsylvania.
MBLGTACC, America’s largest and longest-running conference for LGBTQIA+ college students and young adults, will gather for the thirtieth time from October 21-23, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio and online. Tickets for a safe, full in-person experience are available at $85 per person through October 14. A dedicated virtual track, with a digital-first audience in mind, is also available for $20 per person through October 20.
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