Bali White (born January 10,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

) is a researcher and writer interested in African, environmental, and gender studies. She is currently a Research Fellow at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH). As

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

, she is also a community organizer and advocate addressing

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

identity, legal, health care and social concerns at the national, state and local levels.Housing Works
Supporting Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA).
Housing Works AIDS Issues Update
GENDA PASSES IN ASSEMBLY: New York Assembly advanced human rights during hour long debate; next stop is the Senate
/ref> Her research and activist work around transgender advocacy and ballroom community youth has been influential in the field of public health. She previously served on the National Advisory Board for the Center of Excellence for Transgender HealthCenter of Excellence for Transgender Health
Bali White, National Advisory Board Member.
and managed the CDC-funded initiatives for young

trans women A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

and MSM in the

ballroom community The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino ...

at the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Background and education

White received her Bachelor of Arts ''magna cum laude'' in Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures and a Master of Arts in Climate and Society from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. During her time at Columbia, she produced a report for the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

on international climate change initiatives. White can speak advanced Kiswahili, intermediate Hindi/Urdu and elementary Spanish and French. White originally moved to New York City on a summer professional ballet scholarship to the

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served a ...

. She was introduced to the art of Kathak by her Guru Najma Ayashah. While in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

on a Hindi/Urdu scholarship in 2005, Bali studied with Rm honorific Shashi Sankhla, guru-sister to Najma under Pandit Kundan Lal Gangani of the Jaipur Gharana.

Activism and research

White worked as a Research Consultant for the

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcem ...

and assisted in the completion of ''Transgender Women and HIV Prevention in New York City: A Needs Assessment.''Prepared by Paul Kobrak, assistance by Bali White
Transgender Women and HIV Prevention in New York City
2011.HIV Health & Human Services Planning Council of New York
Needs Assessment Committee.
White also worked as the Coordinator of Transgender Programming at Housing Works, Housing Works
Transgender Program PSA.
/ref> Housing Works
Bali White inspires.
has been a research assistant for National Development and Research Institutes's Transgender ProjectNational Development and Research Institute
The Transgender Project.
and an Assistant Project Director on the House Ball Study (HBS), an ethnographic study of the House/Ball community (a largely NYC queer of color social network) through

GMHC The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." Hist ...

. White works to change the narrative around relationships among transgender women whose sexual partners are often ignored, to the detriment of effective HIV outreach.White presents at WPATH 2011 Biennial International Symposium "Transgender Beyond Disorder: Identity, Community, and Health,
Transgender women of color, male partners, and HIV.
She fought for a program at Housing Works, where partners come in one night a week.Bali White
White has also served on the board of directors for the Sylvia Rivera Law ProjectSylvia Rivera Law Project
Gender Spectrum, Gendered Epidemic: The impact of sexism and gender discrimination on women, gay and transgender people in the HIV epidemic.
and has traveled extensively to meet and network with transgender groups abroad including India and East African countries. White was an invited panelist on "The System. The Reality. The Solution. Honoring and Protecting the Lives of Black Trans Women" during the National Black Justice Coalition's '' OUT on the Hill'' event.National Black Justice Coalitio
Out On The Hill.

Publications

Scout, Emilia Lombardi, and Bali White. "Letters to the Editors RE: Butch/Femme, F2M, Pregnant Man, TrannyBoi: Gender Issues in the Lesbian Community." '' Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health'', 14.3 (2010): 257–58. Print.Scout, Emilia Lombardi, and Bali White
Letters to the Editors RE: Butch/Femme, F2M, Pregnant Man, TrannyBoi: Gender Issues in the Lesbian Community.
''Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health'', 14.3 (2010): 257-58. Print.

Fellowships and awards

*White was invited to

The White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

Office of Public Engagement's A Policy Briefing for Black LGBT Emerging Leaders.Official Invitation
White House.
*''Commendation of Excellence'', City of New York Office of Comptroller, For outstanding work and research on transgender and HIV issues, 2009. *''Trans Empowerment Award'', Recognized by Queens-based Latino organization for contributions to transgender community, 2009. *''Office of Multicultural Affairs Award'', for service and support to LGBT community at

, 2006. *''Jon Michael Harrington Humanitarian Award for Activism,'' for advocacy and commitment to the health and empowerment of the

, 2002.

Other

*Former editor of

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

magazine's website and a transgender rights advocate Janet Mock references White in her essay, ''Growing Up Trans: Sisterhood and Shelter at the Hetrick-Martin Institute,'': "Strong women like Ayana, ''Bali'', Danielle, Isis and all of us who bravely prove to live visibly are helping to change the collective portrait of trans people everywhere." Janet Mock
Growing Up Trans: Sisterhood and Shelter at the Hetrick-Martin Institute.
Also referenced in Mock's #GirlsLikeUs Pinterest page. *Author David Valentine references White in his book
''Imagining Transgender: an ethnography of a category''
Duke University Press, 2007. *White's work is referenced in the '' American Journal of Public Health'': JPH, Volume 98, Issues 5–8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Bali Year of birth missing (living people) Living people African-American activists Columbia University alumni American motivational speakers Women motivational speakers American pan-Africanists Transgender women writers American transgender writers Transgender rights activists Transgender studies academics African-American LGBT people LGBT people from Indiana American women civil rights activists 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American LGBT people