LAMBDA LIT FEST TONI NEWMAN September 22, 2018 – Posted in: News – Tags: LAMBDA LIT FEST
Toni Newman is the executive director for St. James Infirmary, a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic located in San Francisco, offering free, compassionate, and non-judgmental healthcare and social services for former and current sex industry workers. A devoted intersectional activist, she has also fought for the rights of the LGBTQ community, those living with HIV, and communities of color. Previously she served as development manager for Maitri Compassionate Care in San Francisco, and development and administration coordinator for T.H.E. Health and Wellness Centers in Los Angeles.
Toni is also an author, noted for her 2011 memoir I Rise: The Transformation of Toni Newman, which was featured in Ebony and Advocate magazines, and nominated for the prestigious Lambda Literary award. Most recently the memoir has been produced into a short film titled Heart of a Woman produced by Alton Demore and Keith Holland; the film has been and continues to be screened in film festivals across the globe.
Toni is from Jacksonville, North Carolina and received a B.A. in Sociology from Wake Forest University and has begun pursuing a law degree.