My name is Diamond Stylz™. I’m a black, trans, Millenial, educator, artist and cultural anthropologist.
I am the Executive Director of Marsha’s Plate Media. Launched in 2017, Marsha’s Plate is both an artistic endeavor and a mission-driven initiative. Through our film projects, community events, and audio series, we aim to archive Queer thought leadership, inspire change, and pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable society. We create transformative conversations that blend personal narratives, cultural commentary, and critical analysis. We utilize the podcast medium as a platform to amplify and archive marginalized voices within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly focusing on transgender and non-binary individuals of color.
I am a Harris County commissioner elected to an at large seat on the first LGBTQIA Commission here in Houston, Texas. The purpose of this commission is to provide recommendations to Commissioners Court to improve outcomes and support LGBTQIA+ residents of Harris County. The future of trans rights in the area will likely continue to be shaped by the courageous support of our art and culture. We want to highlight the best of us in positive intergenerational way. To bring hope and togetherness through this ongoing legal battles and the political landscape in Texas.
I am a board member of the Transgender Law Center, the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender-nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation. Im a board member of the Transgender District, the first legally recognized transgender district in the world that encompasses six blocks in the southeastern historic Tenderloin area of San Fransisco. I am a advisory board member of A Call To Men, an org dedicated to working to transform society by promoting healthy, respectful manhood and offering training and educational resources for companies, government agencies, schools, and community groups.
I am originally from Indianapolis, Indiana but I live in the great city of Houston, Texas. I have a triumphant First amendment court case win on the books dating back to my 1999 high school years. This was a victory i shared with the ACLU that I’m very proud of because presenting who you on the inside and out is so important to anyone hoping to become an authentic presence in the world
I am also the first openly transgender woman to attend Jackson State University, a popular HBCU in the conservative Jackson, Mississippi. This was a very hostile environment where I honed my taste for activism. In college, I learned to maneuver in a place full of people that were not very enthusiastic about a trans woman being a part of the fabric of the student body. In that same place of hostility, I learned that I was also a beacon of light for individuals who wanted to stand outside the box and be themselves at the intersection of race and gender.
Feature On GLAAD award-winning, ABC’s Soul of a Nation: Pride To Be Seen. Check it out on HULU
https://twitter.com/i/status/1534969794323021825
Diamond Stylz, Queerty Pride50 Honoree
https://content.jwplatform.com/previews/W9ARLELT
Diamond Stylz on CNN’s United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell
On ABC’s NightLine
My formal and informal education is focused on mental health, history race, and gender. Though I love psychology, my passion is in the journalistic media and the arts. I am a writer, singer/songwriter, and a podcaster. Marsha’s Plate is a podcast of launch in 2017 where three friends come together every Thursday to share opinions and perspectives through a black transfolk’s lens. Hosted By Diamond Stylz, Bre Starr, and LJ . All US-based digital strategist, black feminists, civil right advocates, and trans people of color.
After being a 10-year vet YouTuber with over 12,000 subscribers, and over 3.3 million views, I wanted to start a new platform. I started Marsha’s Plate in May of 2017 launched on October 5th. We are now listened to by 32k listeners a month in over 40 countries, 10 of those countries criminalize LGBTQ identities. We hit the 1 million streams milestone in 2022. Podcasting is a beautiful medium that allows millions of people around the world to be exposed to real-life stories that they would not have had the chance to be heard 20 years ago. I can control my content, message, and imagery without the gatekeepers. Image control is something most marginalized people lack. Here on my blog, I am not a mockery or freak of nature. I’m a black trans woman sharing her life and community with the world. The internet gives me that control. I am proud to be in these positions and ventures because they are my contributions to the understanding of the LGBT community as a whole especially the transgender experience. I have been involved as a speaker in radio shows, national events such as Pride events and conferences, and books.
I feel that the many struggles and situations I have been in have prepared me for my purpose in the world. That purpose is to share my life and stories to promote diversity and understanding on the subjects of race, gender, and, sexuality. I am positioning myself to be one of the trusted voices and personalities of the LGBT community specifically the transgender community. 
I feel being true to my purpose will help me strengthen my faith in God, my ties to the transgender community, and my overall understanding of the world. I feel like I am upward bound in this phase of my life. I know I cannot do this alone. I need my community like my community needs me. I am humbled by my past, grateful for my present, and hopeful about my future. Thank you for your time and please share with your friends. Now let us get into the meat and potatoes of this thing…Check out my blogs and writing >>>>>>>>>
Diamond Stylz™
Op-ed for Essence.com
Dave Chappelle Needs To Do Better
Essay for the Conversationalist
Toni Morrison’s novels taught me to see the world through a lens of compassion
Black Trans Women Like Me Are Dying in Texas Due to Political Games https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2021/9/23/black-trans-women-me-are-dying-texas-due-political-games
FEATURE ARTICLES
Autostraddle
The Root
https://www.theroot.com/marsha-s-plate-trans-podcast-wants-to-liberate-all-blac-1841067290
Tretter Transgender Oral History Project
https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll97:204?q=diamond+stylz
Ms Vixen Magazine
https://www.msvixenmag.com/www.msvixenmag.com//2019/06/episode-1-accidental-activist-w-diamond.html
OUTSmart Magazine
https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2021/06/a-sparkling-advocate/
https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2020/03/marshas-plate-serves-it-up/
Colorlines
https://www.colorlines.com/articles/new-podcast-marshas-plate-wants-make-every-black-life-matter
The Heroines
http://theheroines.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-diamond-stylz.html
Otherwise Christian
https://otherwisechristian.com/2020/02/24/diamond-stylz-on-supporting-black-transgender-women/
GUEST FEATURES
Commonwealth Club of San Fransisco
https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2020-02-07/black-trans-women-finding-self-love
Tea with Queen and J. podcast
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tea-with-queen-and-j/e/54958190
Inner Hoe Uprising podcast
https://innerhoeuprising.com/episode-145-love-is-elusive-like-god
Queer WOD podcast
https://soundcloud.com/queerwoc/queerair
Sexually Liberated Woman
WTFEMME podcast
https://www.wtfemmepodcast.com/episodes/episode-46-diamond-stylz
Mocha Minutes
https://mochaminutes.libsyn.com/mm94-its-time-for-a-conversation-series-pt-1-w-diamond-stylz
Veer Queer
http://www.mockingbirdnetwork.com/veerqueer/jxnnxy2kb8aww4x
Dr. Eric Cervini
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=769948130415431
Elizabeth Warren IG Take Over
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCMQadInTWW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Gender Reveal Podcast
https://gender.libsyn.com/episode-85-diamond-stylz
BOOK CONTRIBUTION
OtherWise Christian 2: Stories of Resistance (OtherWise Christian series)
Diamond Stylz is an experienced speaker and facilitator focusing on LGBTQ+ issues and history, trans-inclusive feminism, mental health, work discrimination, sex work decriminalization, black liberation, journalism, and activism. If you would like to request Diamond Stylz to speak or consult. You can email diamondstylz@gmail.com
Diamond Stylz
Diamond Stylz 