ABOUT GWEN
Gwendolyn Ann Smith has been an advocate for the transgender community for most of her adult life, with a focus on the trans community on the Internet, as well as in honoring those we have lost due to anti-transgender violence.
In 1992, she lobbied America Online, successfully persuading the company to revise its policies and allow for discussions on gender issues on its service. This move paved the way for the creation of the first public forum dedicated to the transgender community on a major online platform, the Transgender Community Forum. This forum allowed thousands of transgender people worldwide to connect on a daily basis.
As the World Wide Web gained prominence, Smith transitioned into web design, creating websites for various organizations and individuals, including the Southern Comfort Conference, photographer Loren Cameron, and many others. Her pioneering efforts in the early transgender web have left a lasting impact. She remains involved in Internet-related projects.
Smith’s most notable work is the Remembering Our Dead project, established in 1998. This project meticulously chronicled the scourge of anti-transgender murders, serving as a powerful resource for raising awareness and creating action. Thanks to this project, Smith co-founded the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an event that has gained widespread recognition. and is now honored across the United States and internationally.
Gwen Smith actively participated in a press events and action surrounding the creation of the San Francisco Transgender Civil Rights Implementation Task Force to oversee the implementation of the 1994 Transgender anti-discrimination task force’s findings. As a result of her contributions, she was appointed to this task force. During her tenure , the city of San Francisco enacted an Ordinance mandating the provision of gender-neutral single-stall restroom accommodations. Additionally, the task force urged the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to pass a health benefits ordinance inclusive of transgender city employees. Furthermore, Smith secured similar restroom badging for facilities in Antioch, California.
In 2004, Smith was recognized for her contributions with the “Vagina Warrior” award at the VDAY LA event in Los Angeles, California. She later received the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award from Fantasia Faire in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 2017.
In July of 2017, a biography written by Sophia Cecelia Leveque, titled Trans / Active: A Biography of Gwendolyn Ann Smith, was released.
Gwen has appeared in print quite a number of times over the years. Here is a selection of articles about her and her work.
Founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith on the 20th Anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance (Vogue Magazine)
Gwendolyn Ann Smith: Activist Behind Transgender Day of Remembrance (Times Now News)
ANTI-TRANSGENDER VIOLENCE / Remembering the slain / Antioch woman has created Web site to honor the victims (San Francisco Chronicle)
Meet the Mother of The Gazebo, One of the Internet’s First Trans Safe Spaces (Them)
Gwendolyn Ann Smith and transgender people (Transgender Map)
Gwendolyn Ann Smith Dreams of a World Where Memorials Are No Longer Necessary (Them)
OutFront: 'We need to keep fighting,' Transgender Day of Remembrance founder pleads (NBC OutFront)
TRANSBRATIONS: featuring writer Gwendolyn Ann Smith, founder of Transgender Day of Remembrance TDoR. (TRANSBRATIONS)
ILLUSTRATED WOMEN IN HISTORY: Gwendolyn Ann Smith (ILLUSTRATED WOMEN IN HISTORY)
#SpeakingOfTransgender with Gwendolyn Ann Smith (#SpeakingOfTransgender)
Hero of the Month: Gwendolyn Ann Smith (Decriminalize Sex Work)
Other appearances in the media include:
The Advocate, November 22, 2005
The Argus, September 13, 2005
Associated Press, September 13, 2005, June 5, 2005, March 15, 2003, and October 24, 2002
Bay Area Reporter, September 15, 2005
San Jose Mercury News, September 23, 2005 and September 2, 2005
Oakland Tribune, September 13, 2005
PlanetOut.com, , February 4, 2005, November 10, 2004, October 3, 2004, June 15, 2004, December 18, 2003, August 22, 2003, October 3, 2003, August 22, 2003, July 25, 2003, November 18, 2002, and October 22, 2002
San Francisco Chronicle, September 15, 2005
and September 13, 2005
Monterey County Herald, April 27, 2004
Bay Area Reporter, December 25, 2003
The Daily Texan, November 21, 2003
Between The Lines, November 20, 2003
Washington Blade, April 28, 2000
Utne Reader “Compass” section, December, 1999
Anything That Moves, Number 20 Summer 1999
Frontiers, Volume 18, Issue 03, May 28, 1999
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, April 8, 1999
Bay Area Reporter, February 25, 1999
Transgender Tapestry, “Out ‘n’ Proud,” #84, Fall 1998
Transgender Community News, Volume 12, Number 10, October 1998
Alternative Family Magazine, August/September 1998
Texas Triangle, April 2, 1998 and May 28, 1998
GLAAD Images newsletter, page 18, Summer 1997
Out, July/August 1995
Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1993
Gwendolyn Ann Smith
“Thank you for stopping by my website, and please feel free to reach out if I can assist you. All respectful inquiries are welcome.”
—Gwen Smith
Her Words
Gwen is a prolific writer. Her column, “Transmissions,” has been published biweekly since 2000 in the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco, California. Her essay, “We’re all somebody’s freak,” included in the anthology Gender Outlaws, edited by S. Bear Bergman and Kate Bornstein, and later republished in The Norton Reader, Fourteenth Edition.
You may read Gwen Smith’s latest “Transmissions,” column below:
Additionally, you may locate a selection of additional “Transmissions,” columns via the Bay Area Reporter’s website.
Other notable articles include the following:
We’ve Been Here Before: Child Molesters & The Political Right (TransAdvocate)
Why We Still Need Trans Day of Remembrance (The Advocate)
Transgender Day of Remembrance: Why We Remember (The Huffington Post)
Inauguration 2013: A Transgender Call to Action (The Huffington Post)
When your existence is illegal (The Meteor)
Who should be included on the Transgender Day of Remembrance? (LGBTQ Nation)
Transgender Day of Remembrance: Rita Hester and Beyond (The Huffington Post)
She contributed to My Gender Workbook by Kate Bornstein, The HMI Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Internet Research by Ellis, Highleyman, Schaub, and White, and the VDAY LA 2004 keepsake booklet, privately published by the GenderMedia Foundation, as well as several texts on both America Online and Second Life.
She has also authored news articles for the TransAdvocate, LGBTQ Nation, Transgender Tapestry, and The New Civil Rights Movement.
SHE SPEAKS!
For over three decades, Gwen Smith has been a leading speaker on transgender issues, speaking at several college campuses and other organizations. Her expertise is in speaking on anti-transgender violence and murder, particularly regarding her work with Remembering Our Dead and the Transgender Day of Remembrance. She can also offer insights into the transgender Internet from a historical and insider perspective.
Gwen Smith is always open to providing customized presentations tailored to your event, including Q&A sessions and informal activities related to transgender issues.
Please note that Gwen Smith is frequently booked early for events related to the Transgender Day of Remembrance. To secure her services, please make your inquiry promptly. She is also willing to speak virtually, or provide a prerecorded or written presentation as necessary.
Regarding COVID-19 safety, Gwen Smith is fully vaccinated and is committed to adhering to all local policies, including masking requirements, to ensure the well-being of attendees.
It is important to acknowledge that several states currently have laws that criminalize transgender individuals. Given the potential risks associated with presenting in such environments, Gwen Smith may decline to participate in events in areas with such legislation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Inquiries regarding Gwen Smith’s availability and services can be made via email. Please refer to the contact information below for further details.
Gwen is also a part of the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive speaker’s bureau.
Past speaking engagements include:
2024
Presenter, transgender legal needs in Texas, Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP).
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Palm Springs.
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, The Theater Offensive — Boston.
2023
Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, MongoDB.
Speech, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Bellevue, Washington
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Vallejo (Solano Serenity Center).
2022
Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, California Democratic Party, (CADEMS).
2021
Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, PG&E Pride Network, California.
2020
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Solano (Solano Pride Center).
2019
Speaker, transgender internet history, Napa Valley College.
2018
Speaker, Park Middle School, Antioch, California.
2017
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Palm Springs.
Keynote Speaker & Recipient of Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, Fantasia Fair.
2016
Speaker, Trans H4CK virtual conference and hackathon.
2014
Speaker, PFLAG-SF. San Francisco.
2013
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Guerneville.
2011
Presenter, The White House, Washington, DC.
2010
Speaker, Book Launch for Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, Modern Times Bookstore, San Francisco.
2004
Speaker & Mistress of Ceremonies, Day of Remembrance, San Francisco.
Keynote Speaker, Day of Remembrance, University of California, San Francisco.
Keynote Speaker, Transgender Awareness Day, City College San Francisco.
Speaker, San Francisco Pride, San Francisco.
Panelist, The Ethics of Reporting on Transgender Youth, NLGJA Conference, New York.
Presenter, Anti-Transgender Violence and Murder, University of Iowa.
Cast Member, “Another Gwen,” VDAY, Los Angeles.
Presenter, Anti-Transgender Violence and Murder, University of Iowa.
2003
Speaker & Mistress of Ceremonies, Day of Remembrance, San Francisco.
Presenter, Anti-Transgender Violence and Murder, Ohio State University.
Presenter, Anti-Transgender Violence and Murder, University of Michigan.
Presenter, Anti-Transgender Violence and Murder, University of California, Berkeley.
Speaker, Gwen Araujo anniversary memorial, Newark.
Panelist, Transgender, Stanford University.
2002
Speaker & Mistress of Ceremonies, Day of Remembrance, San Francisco.
2001
Speaker, F. C. Martinez, Jr. memorial, San Francisco.
Speaker, Christopher Tarvelli fundraising event, San Francisco.
Panelist, “Gender and Genre,” the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy.
2000
Speaker & Mistress of Ceremonies, Day of Remembrance, San Francisco.
Speaker, Contemporary Forums Psychiatric Nursing Convention, Millbrae.
Panelist, Post-Operative Transsexuals, San Francisco.
1999
Speaker & Mistress of Ceremonies, Day of Remembrance, San Francisco.
Speaker, Supporting transsexual teacher, Sacramento.
Speaker, History of Sexuality: An Introduction, Vol. I, New College of California.
Panelist, FTM-MTF Tensions and Alliances, Forward Motion Conference, Burbank.
Keynote Speaker, Southern Comfort Conference, Atlanta.
Speaker, Benefit for the GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco.
Speaker, Vigil to remember our dead and stand up to the violence, San Francisco.
