“You can hold someone accountable and hold them at the same time.”

Ashlee Marie Preston, civil rights activist, writer, speaker, and host of the excellent podcast SHOOK with Ashlee Marie Preston. Ashlee Marie is the first transgender woman editor-in-chief of a national publication, the first openly trans person to run for the California State Legislature, and among many other accolades she’s received in recent years, Ashlee Marie was named as one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2017. Ashlee Marie has many talents, but she is, above all, a communicator. She conceived her podcast as a “platform that is intentional about unpacking the accurate narrative of not just LGBTQ people or trans people, but being intentional about creating the world in which you wish to live in.” Listen to her activism and how you can be an ally.