Rocero will discuss her global work on gender rights and facilitate a dialogue that challenges the status quo understanding of gender, sexuality, and identity.
The model came out as transgender during a TED talk last March in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility. Soon after, Rocero launched Gender Proud, "an advocacy and awareness campaign that aims to advance the rights of all transgender individuals." Today, Rocero sends a message to future policy and lawmakers about the importance of challenging cultural norms and gender binaries that play a significant role in the systems of power and control that distribute life chances.
Born to humble beginnings in Manila, Philippines, Rocero had big dreams. Growing up, she knew that she was different from her childhood friends and, at a young age, told her mom that her gender assignment at birth was different. At 15, a pageant manager approached her to join a beauty contest. This opportunity led her to the world of the TransWomen Beauty Pageant in the Philippines. Still a teenager, she became one of the most prominent figures in the trans beauty pageant world.
Rocero immigrated to San Francisco in 2001 and moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a modeling career. Next Models, one of the most prominent agencies in the world, represented her. Through her own experience into womanhood and as a professional model, Rocero realized her bigger purpose in life was to share her journey and work toward justice and beauty in the transgender community.
The "Radical Speaker Series: Beyond Equality and Inclusion Politics" is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Society and Alliance. For more information, email Taylor L. Curtis at taylorcurtis@vermontlaw.edu.
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