Jump to content

Kortney Ryan Ziegler

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sobaface (talk | contribs) at 20:07, 3 November 2016 (→Career: grammar, punctuation). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kortney Ryan Ziegler
Born (1980-12-15) December 15, 1980 (age 44)
Compton, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesShane B. Star
Alma materNorthwestern University (PhD, 2011)
San Francisco State University (MA, 2005)
University of California, Santa Cruz (BA)[when?][1]
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, visual artist, writer, blogger
Websitekortneyrziegler.net

Kortney Ryan Ziegler (born December 15, 1980) is an American award-winning filmmaker,[2] visual artist, blogger, writer,[3] and scholar based in Oakland, California.[4][5] His artistic and academic work focuses on queer/trans issues, body image, racialized sexualities, gender, performance and black queer theory. Ziegler is also the first person in history to receive the PhD of African-American studies from Northwestern University in 2011.

Early life and education

Ziegler was born in Compton, California. Raised in a family of a single black woman, his mother struggled with mental illness and drug abuse. His father was absent, and he lived with three alcoholic uncles who inflicted physical and emotional abuse on the women in his family.[1]

According to Ziegler, growing up in Compton, he was surrounded by ads and music that portrayed him as an ugly girl. In 2001, he began studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was the first in his family to attend a post-secondary institution. In his first year, he took an introductory course in race and women studies, which shed light and gave him the knowledge and inspiration to reject the messages he grew up surrounded by. Ziegler graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in 2005.[2] He went on to pursue his Masters at San Francisco State University and later his PhD at Northwestern University. During this time, he slowly began his transition, and when he began his doctoral program he checked female. It wasn’t until his third year that he began to identify as “gender queer” and started taking hormones to change his body. In 2011, by the time he began to defend his dissertation on queer, black and Latino filmmakers, his body had bulked up, and he had a deep voice and beard.

Career

Blogging

blac (k) ademic

From 2003 to 2006, Ziegler maintained a popular black queer feminist blog, blac (k) ademic.[6] The blog tackled topics such as gender and sexuality from a young black queer academic's perspective,[7] eventually becoming one of the top blogs in the feminist blogsphere.[8]

Ziegler endured much controversy due to his radical stance that positioned the experiences of women of color as the locus of his feminist analysis.[9] Blac (k) ademic went on to receive the award for Best Topical Blog in the first annual Black Weblog Awards in 2006. It relaunched in November 2012 and was nominated for a Transguy Community Award and GLAAD Media Award. [citation needed]

Film

STILL BLACK: a Portrait of Black Transmen

Premiering in 2008, STILL BLACK: a Portrait of Black Transmen was conceived during the years Ziegler was a doctoral student in the department of African-American studies at Northwestern University. Ziegler and his producer, Awilda Rodriguez Lora, provided the initial financial investment to get the project off the ground. They employed a grassroots fundraising method, using social networking to secure funds to complete the project. Upon release to the queer film festival circuit, the film became one of the most sought after and talked about films representing the trans man-of-color experience, showing to sold-out crowds in cities such as Los Angeles, Toronto, Seattle, Chicago, and Tel-Aviv. The film received an Isaac Julien Experimental Award from Queer Black Cinema International Music Festival and an Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary in the ReelOut Queer Film + Video Festival.

Technology

In 2013, Ziegler launched Trans*H4ck, an organizational hub for trans people collaborating on technical projects. It first began as a two hack-a-thon which was aimed to address specific issues in the trans gender community.[3] During the hack-a-thon developers, programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, and community members came together to brainstorm new ideas and create technological advances and digital tools to better the trans community. This was used as a digital activist movement to help spread the word of an underrepresented community and raise money through crowdfunding. Over the two day hack-a-thon partners got to know each other, and heard about the social injustices facing transgender and non gender-conforming people.

Along with Tiffany Mikell, he also founded BSMdotCo, an educational technology startup company.[10] Together they created Aerial Spaces. This is a video based forum which allows educators to reach a wider audience of learners.

Community Outreach

In 2011 he became the co-owner of the Halmoni Vintag, which a vintage boutique that promotes healthy body positivity and self love for women. which holds monthly clothing swaps for women called A Naked Lady Soiree. In 2013 Zeigler also founded Who We Know, it is group that focuses on creating products and developing different initiatives, that help economically empower the transgender colour community.

Personal life

He currently reside in Oakland,California

Honors and awards

  • 2006 Best Topical Blog, Black Weblog Awards - "blac (k) ademic"
  • 2009 Best Documentary, Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival - STILL BLACK: a portrait of black transmen
  • Trans 100 Honoree
  • 2013 GLAAD Media Award Nomination for Outstanding Blog
  • 2013 Empowerment Award, Black Transmen, Inc.
  • 2013 Outstanding Transgender Service, The Esteem Awards
  • 2013 Top 40 under 40 LGBT Activist, The Advocate
  • 2013 Authentic Life Award, Transgender Law Center

References

  1. ^ http://blackademic.com/c-v/
  2. ^ Vallejos, Jorge Antonio (July 29, 2009). "Portraits of Black Trans Men". ColorLines Magazine. Applied Research Center. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  3. ^ Moore, Lisa (September 15, 2007). "thank you". Does Your Mamma Know?. RedBone Press. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Sibery, Michelle (September 15, 2007). "Framing race, sexuality". The Chicago Reporter. Community Renewal Society. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  5. ^ Robie, Tehea (October 20, 2010). "Kortney Ryan Ziegler's Crying Room". Oakland Local. Oakland Local. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  6. ^ "blac (k) ademic - critical essays by Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler".
  7. ^ Ziegler, Kortney. "Academic Blogging as Intercultural Exchange". From Where I Sit. Association of American Colleges and Universities. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  8. ^ Head, Tom (July 29, 2009). "Top 10 Blogs on Feminism and Women's Rights". Civil Liberties. about.com. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  9. ^ De Leon, Celina. "The Segregated Blogosphere". ColorLines Magazine. Applied Research Center. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  10. ^ "Inclusive Tech Entrepreneur: Kortney Ryan Ziegler". http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/inclusive-tech-entrepreneur-kortney-ryan-ziegler/Content?oid=4932891. East Bay Express. August 09, 2016.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kortney_Ryan_Ziegler&oldid=747685965"