About

I am an activist, social worker, consultant, and artist. After nearly four years as a researcher with the Ironworkers Union’s Organizing Department, I led (along with other activists, of course) successful transgender policy advocacy efforts in Washington, DC, including passage of birth certificate and name change reform legislation, and Mayoral policy solidifying transgender peoples’ right to insurance coverage of transition-related care. I also helped engineer a legal victory against a women’s homeless shelter in DC that was denying access to transgender women. Following that, I was Executive Director of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s leading civil rights education and advocacy organization for the LGBT community. Among other things, we worked with Jersey City to provide insurance coverage of transition-related care to city employees. I spent some time primarily doing legislative advocacy around youth employment issues in New York City and State. Presently, I’m doing government-focused advocacy work as a consultant with various social justice causes in New York City. I’m also trying out this thing as a solo music performer.

I received my BA in History and Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2008, and a Master of Social Work degree from Catholic University of America in 2014. I was the first openly transgender student at Catholic University of America.

I played bass with the punk band Southern Problems, and have released two solo albums and a couple of EPs. I live in Brooklyn, NY.

I don’t think I’m as self-obsessed as this profile indicates, but you can judge for yourself by contacting me at andymbowen [at] gmail [dot] com.

This is a sort of absurd picture of DC Mayor Vincent Gray handing me a pen at the Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act signing ceremony. I think Julius Agers took the picture. Also pictured, left to right: Alvin Bethea, Kaprice Williams, me, Ruby Corado, Lisa Mottet.