Rocero will discuss her global work on gender rights and facilitate a dialogue that challenges the status quo understanding of gender, sexuality, and identity.

The model came out as transgender during a TED talk last March in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility. Soon after, Rocero launched Gender Proud, "an advocacy and awareness campaign that aims to advance the rights of all transgender individuals." Today, Rocero sends a message to future policy and lawmakers about the importance of challenging cultural norms and gender binaries that play a significant role in the systems of power and control that distribute life chances.

Born to humble beginnings in Manila, Philippines, Rocero had big dreams. Growing up, she knew that she was different from her childhood friends and, at a young age, told her mom that her gender assignment at birth was different. At 15, a pageant manager approached her to join a beauty contest. This opportunity led her to the world of the TransWomen Beauty Pageant in the Philippines. Still a teenager, she became one of the most prominent figures in the trans beauty pageant world. 


Rocero immigrated to San Francisco in 2001 and moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a modeling career. Next Models, one of the most prominent agencies in the world, represented her. Through her own experience into womanhood and as a professional model, Rocero realized her bigger purpose in life was to share her journey and work toward justice and beauty in the transgender community. 


The "Radical Speaker Series: Beyond Equality and Inclusion Politics" is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Society and Alliance. For more information, email Taylor L. Curtis at taylorcurtis@vermontlaw.edu.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, has the top-ranked environmental law program and one of the top-ranked clinical training programs in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; two Master’s Degrees (Master of Environmental Law and Policy, and Master of Energy Regulation and Law), and three post-JD degrees — LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, and LLM in Environmental Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, the South Royalton Legal Clinic, and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.