Our team

TPATH’s leadership is based on the twin pillars of diversity and creativity. We strive for both by actively seeking to reflect the global trans community at all levels, especially with regards to geography, race, and ethnicity, as well as by non-hierarchically delegating tasks based on interest and individual strengths. If you’re interested in lending a hand drop us a line.

Core Leadership

Shane Forrest

Toronto, Canada

Shane Forrest is an Anishinaabe-Métis Two-Spirit, trans, and queer educator, community researcher, and registered social worker. Shane has dedicated most of their time to co-creating community-driven, youth-led, and trauma informed research and community spaces. Shane has worked in the fields of sexual health and reproductive rights, land-based education, front line peer support and crisis intervention, community-based arts, and grassroots community development. They primarily work with 2SLGBTQQIA+ young people and urban Indigenous communities across Ontario. Through their work with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Shane has been teaching about cultural safety, youth-voiced health promotion, and Two-Spirit resurgence for over 15 years. They specialize in accessible education regarding Two-Spirit, trans, and queer affirming care.

Jennifer Shields

Ōtautahi, Aotearoa / Christchurch, New Zealand

Jennifer Shields (she/they) is a trans health educator, advocate, and artist based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and is President of the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa. She’s currently running a national training programme for primary care around gender diversity and gender affirming care, and is a co-author on the Primary Care Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy Initiation Guidelines (2023).

Satya Nagpaul

Mumbai, India

Satya is a transman, gender activist, homemaker, and a cinematographer from India. He is a graduate from India’s National Film School, the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). In the late 1990s he started the Indian trans* (and now intersex-inclusive) network, Sampoorna.

Vreer Verkerke

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Vreer Verkerke has a long history in things trans* [I use the Latin-american and German version with asterisk to indicate the width of trans and gender diverse experience]. In 2002 they initiated the first genderqueer group in the Netherlands, that was not focusing on transition support, but on mutual support. In 2006 they co-founded what has become Transgender Netwerk, became part of the founding board and first policy officer. I have run a small office in trans* and inter* human rights education before the time was favorable and have done some work on local trans* positive policy in Amsterdam.

In 2017 Vreer initiated Principle 17, a collective on research, advocacy and empowerment around trans* health care. There they drafted an alternative gender affirming health care vision based on international best practices. Right now Principle 17 ware designing the next version of our care users empowerment training: how to deal with under-educated health care providers and the long waiting times.

Last year they took the initiative to bring together all smaller autonomous trans groups in the Netherlands to cooperate and form a more radical movement next to the mainstream NGOs. Out of that a trans health car e coalition was formed, excluding the big official players to again facilitate a more radical trans voice at the table.
Vreer also serves as a TGEU board member.

Dani Castro

Oakland, California, USA

Dani Castro, former project director for the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health’s Community Based Research at UCSF, is a nationally recognized and leading expert for health-related issues affecting all trans people. Dani has worked alongside her community to increase access to health and social services for all trans people on a national and international level throughout most of her life. She earned her graduate degree in counseling psychology from John F. Kennedy University in 2013. Ms. Castro utilizes her training to develop community- driven social justice coalitions and has provided mental health services at multiple organizations for LGBTQQI people and their families. She is a founding board member for the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at UCSF, TAJA’s Coalition, and the Santa Clara County TransPowerment Program. She’s currently disabled and available for consultation on a case by case basis.

Amrita Sarkar

Delhi, India

Amrita Sarkar is associated with trans activism since 2000. Amrita Sarkar is associated with trans activism since 2000. She has been involved in various capacity building initiatives for a long time mainly for transgender and marginalised communities. And is now doing consultancy on Trans related issues with SAATHII (Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India) Delhi Office. She is the Co-chair of IRGT: A Global Network of Trans Women and HIV, who organised first ever Trans Pre-conference before AIDS 2016. From 2014 to May 2016, she has been a part of the CRG (Community, Rights and Gender Advisory Group), Global Fund. She made two films on trans issues which were appreciated at many seminars and conferences nationally and globally. She is also a trained counselor and took part on in developing various important global guidelines on trans issues (for example TRANSIT). Talking about her hobby, she is a trained singer and was part of the India’s first transgender music album, which is also listed in Limca Books of Records (2016).

Noah Adams

Toronto, Canada

Noah is a researcher, activist, and PhD student based in Toronto, Ontario and Berlin, Germany. He currently works for the City of Toronto’s shelter system, is a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (Adult Education and Community Development), and volunteers time on various projects. He received a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Psychology), from the University of British Columbia in 2004, a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria in 2009, and a Masters of Social Work from Dalhousie University in 2015.

Discord Moderators

Mirabel Sirois

Whitehorse, Canada

Artist, Activist, and Troublemaker.

Mira is the Health & Education Manager for Queer Yukon. With an incredible team of coworkers she is responsible for the organizations Health, Advocacy, Research, and Education services.

She has assisted the organization in developing some of its key programs such as the Health Navigator role, its Advocacy strategy, and their equity workshops/training.

Lily Rolfe

Seattle, U.S.A.

Lily Rolfe (they|them) is a non-binary Family Medicine Resident based out of Seattle. Tired with the lack of quality of trans health in medical education, Lily brought trans health education wherever they went. They added to their Medical School Curriculum, helped create the Chicago Trans Health Initiative, and while at their residency created a Gender Care Area of concentration. In their free time, Lily works with the USPATH education committee and local activist groups to lobby at the state government for a better medico-legal system protecting gender-diverse folks.

Newsletter

Max Osborn

Villanova, U.S.A.

Max Osborn (he/him, they/them) is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Villanova University. His research addresses sexual and gender minority populations’ experiences within the carceral system and other institutions, depictions of transgender people in crime news and media, and consequences of abuse and victimization. Max’s work has been published across multiple disciplines and can be found in outlets including Critical Criminology, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, Feminist Criminology, and Trauma, Violence & Abuse.