Aster Gilbert is the manager of training and the Public Education Institute at the Center on Halsted in Chicago, an organization that connects community members with LGBTQ+ resources and services throughout Chicago and the Midwest.

In these roles, Gilbert has worked with local businesses, international corporations, non-profits and governmental organizations to provide trainings to increase inclusion and understanding of LGBTQ people.

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, Gilbert will present “Transphobia: Roots and Rhetoric,” this year’s William R. Johnson Intercultural Lecture at Elmhurst University.

Gilbert specializes in delivering presentations and workshops on LGBTQ topics, from workplace inclusion and allyship to domestic violence training and supporting LGBTQ youth.

Gilbert holds advanced degrees in gender and sexuality studies, and has taught courses in LGBTQ history and special topics at the University of Kansas. Before joining the Center on Halsted, Gilbert worked in public programming for several Midwestern non-profits — that work included LGBTQ film screenings, panel discussions, and conversations with LGBTQ artists, activists, scholars and business owners.

The public lectures and other cultural programming at Elmhurst University support community engagement and lifelong learning, and prepare our students to thrive as adaptive leaders. The William R. Johnson Intercultural Lecture is named for Rev. Dr. William R. Johnson ’68, an Elmhurst alumnus and the first openly gay person to be ordained by a mainline Christian denomination.

This year’s Johnson Lecture begins at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the Founders Lounge of the Frick Center. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.