Clarion University Allies and the University Activity Board will host a presentation by Aiden James Kosciesza at 4 p.m. Feb. 23 in Hart Chapel.
Kosciesza is a transgender speaker, writer, advocate and professor. He has taught in Mie Prefecture, Japan, and currently instructs in the English department of the Community College of Philadelphia.
His presentation, "Plastic Boy: Transgender Identity Unpacked," is a talk that gives a face and a voice to the transgender community. Using terminology from his own transition from female to male, Kosciesza will speak about his experience and being a part of the emerging transgender community.
ALLIES president Kaitlyn Ellinger came across Kosciesza last May, and thought he would be an interesting speaker to bring to the university.
"With the addition of all-gender bathrooms on campus this past fall," she said, "I thought it would be a good idea to make people aware of those who identify within and outside of the gender binary."
By hosting Kosciesza, Ellinger aims to bring knowledge and understanding to the Clarion community.
"I hope that the conversation Aiden starts at his presentation continues on and helps people become less afraid to ask questions and become more educated on the LGBTQ community, so we can all interact in society in respectful ways," she said.
This event is free and open to the public.