Jayne Henson

Jayne Henson is a feminist, queer, fem-identified transsexual woman. She grew up in rural Kansas, where she attended college at both Fort Hays State University and the University of Kansas, where she studied music education and music therapy prospectively. She has been active as an outspoken activist and advocate for transgender rights and issues since she began speaking at colleges throughout Kansas as well as organizing and participating in LGBT speaker panels, HIV-awareness events with the Douglas County AIDS Project, and activist/educational events with the Kansas Equality Coalition. In 2009, she lobbied for and won the addition of gender identity and expression to the non-discrimination policy of the University of Kansas. She moved to New York City in August 2010, when Americorps offered her a position as an HIV-prevention associate at the William F. Ryan Health Center. Since that time she has continued her work in HIV prevention at GMHC as an HIV counselor and outreach worker. Jayne also provides trainings on issues of transgender health care and cultural competency throughout NYC. Her goal is to help eliminate deficiency in transgender healthcare through continued education and activism for transgender rights. Jayne is also an active musician in the NYC queer punk scene, as drummer for the band Girl Crush and guitarist and frontwoman for the trans-core band GLTR PNCH. She has a thick skin and a loud mouth and believes “being feminine does not mean being weak and quiet."