It was really appropriate that yesterday, on the 48th anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots, a transgender writer was appointed to the top editorial position at a feminist magazine. Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera would be proud.
Ashlee Marie Preston was appointed Editor-In-Chief of feminist magazine Wear Your Voice yesterday, in a history-making moment on a historic day. A diversity speaker and media advocate, Preston’s history includes homelessness and being a survivor of sexual violence. Not only does she talk about what she’s been through publicly, but her entire mission statement as an activist and journalist is to allow other marginalized people tot ell their own stories.
Before this, Preston’s activism has included being heavily involved in the Los Angeles trans community, serving multiple roles for the Transgender Service Provider Network of Los Angeles, acting as the Communications and Media Sponsorship Chair for L.A. Pride, and being an active member of the Human Rights Campaign.
She is thrilled to have an even larger platform through which she can create change. In an interview with Out Magazine, Preston said, “My objective is to transform the traditional media landscape while redefining social norms and dispelling myths associated with feminism. Growing up I felt underrepresented in mainstream media. I knew that someday I was going to change that by holding space for those that felt as I did. As women, those of color, and LGBTQ people, we’re often silenced while others speak as experts on our experiences. No one can tell our stories better than we can. The work WYV is doing is revolutionary because we are reserving space for diverse communities to tell their own stories.”
Meanwhile Wear Your Voice founder, Ravneet Vohra, is confident that Preston will be capable of carrying out WYV’s mission: Digging for the non-gendered truth and amplifying the collective voices of today’s generation. She says, “I didn’t have to explain our mission to Ashlee Marie because she was already living it through her very existence. As a fierce advocate for people on the margins of society, Ashlee Marie’s vision is going to inspire our audience and change lives.”
Congratulations, Ashlee Preston! We see you, and we love what we see.
(via The Daily Dot, image: Ashlee Marie Preston)
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Published: Jun 29, 2017 02:53 pm