Mark Bromley
Mr. Bromley supervises Global Rights' relations with governmental institutions and local partners around the world. He also provides legal and technical support to in-country human rights programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. He is charged with regular analysis of developments within the United Nations human rights system. 

Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Director, Women’s Research and Resource Center (WRRC), Spelman College
Beverly Guy-Sheftall is the founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center and Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies at Spelman College. She is also adjunct professor at Emory University’s Institute for Women’s Studies where she teaches graduate courses. Dr. Guy-Sheftall has published a number of texts within African American and Women’s Studies which have been noted as seminal works by other scholars, including the first anthology on Black women’s literature, Sturdy Black Bridges: Visions of Black Women in Literature.

Dr. Michael Kimmel
Professor of Sociology, State University of New York - Stony Brook
Michael S. Kimmel is a sociologist and author who has received international recognition for his work on men and masculinity. His books on masculinity include Changing Men: New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity and Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States, 1776-1990.  A Professor of Sociology at SUNY - Stony Brook, he teaches, among other courses, Sociology of Masculinity, one of the few courses in the nation that examines men’s lives from a pro-feminist perspective.

Brett Parson
Commander, Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit - Metropolitan Police Department (GLLU)
Sergeant Brett Parson has been serving the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department since 1994 and working with the GLLU since 2001.  Since his arrival, he has endeavored to keep the GLLU on the street and in the community. He speaks publicly regarding LGBT issues, and trains law enforcement in ways to better serve the LGBT communities. Community members, law enforcement and the media have recognized him (and the entire GLLU Staff) as a national leader in LGBT-Police relations. Parson is nationally recognized as a resource for investigations involving crimes by, and against the GLBT communities.

Queen Washington
Mother of Victim, Stephanie Thomas
Since the murder of her transgender daughter, Stephanie Thomas, Queen Washington has been an outspoken advocate for the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. Stephanie Thomas and her friend Ukea Davis were among several victims of gender-based violence in the DC area, prompting Queen Washington to become a founding member of the Parents of Murdered Children (POMC). She currently serves as co-leader of the DC chapter. A native Washingtonian, Queen Washington attended DC Public Schools and works for DC government offices. She remains active in the DC community as a featured speaker at several events.

Riki Wilchins
Executive Director , Gender Public Advocacy Coalition
The author of Read My Lips, GenderQueer, and Queer Theory/Gender Theory, in 2001 Riki Wilchins was selected as one of TIME Magazine's "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century." Wilchins was a featured columnist on gender issues for The Advocate. She received her Bachelor’s from Cleveland State University and her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from New School for Social Research.