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> Andy Marra
 Transgender Adoptee Becomes Leading Voice
A twenty-year old transgender Korean adoptee, Andy Marra responded to the conservatism of her adoptive family and the town in which she was raised by becoming a leading voice for transgender rights in New York and across the country. As a high school student Andy organized a statewide summit with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA). The goal was to build support for the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), a statewide "safer schools" bill that will hopefully pass into law for public schools in the state of New York. In New York City, she was a part of the successful organizing efforts to pass a similar bill into law. Now a full time college student at Pace University, Andy has a fellowship at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), serves as the president of her university's LGBT student organization, sits as the youngest board member of several statewide transgender and LGBT organizations, and serves as the board chair for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). Andy is also committed to linking work in the transgender community with work in communities of color and to increasing youth leadership in the LGBT movement.
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