Engender is Queer Asterisk’s annual community gala. Each year, we invite the public to join us for a virtual ceremony and fundraiser to celebrate and sustain our vital work in the field of queer and trans affirming mental healthcare.
Engender: Mapping the Moment, is a virtual gathering that not only serves as a fundraiser for Queer Asterisk’s therapeutic services, but also as a poignant community ceremony.
Counselor
he/him
My name is Rafi and I am a middle-aged, queer, Jewish, transguy and a parent. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a graduate of the University of Colorado, Denver. I also have a masters degree in Crisis and Trauma Studies from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. Originally trained as a couples and family therapist, I tend to view even individuals as a part of a system and understand that people need to be seen as the whole of who they are and where they come from. I enjoy working with individuals of all ages who are at any stage in the process of acknowledging, accepting, and living in their identities. I utilize relevant treatments from multiple theories but lean strongly into attachment theory and internal family systems theory. Being transparent with clients is an important aspect of the therapeutic relationship to me, I do my utmost to be honest and to be aware of how our differences or similarities might be impacting our work together.
Program Director
he/they
RP Whitmore-Bard (Program Director) is a queer/trans psychoanalytic psychotherapist and group facilitator. RP earned their Master’s degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University, and has been involved at Queer Asterisk since its founding in 2016. RP is passionate about creating supportive environments for people to connect authentically with themselves and others. They have worked as a direct care provider with many social services agencies, including Jewish Family Services, Safe Passage Domestic Violence Services, Eating Recovery Center, and Denver County Human Services. As a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and a person in recovery, RP believes that being in touch with legacies of personal and ancestral suffering is a powerful tool for waking up to the transformative healing potential of every moment. RP grew up in New York City, Southern California and Chicago, and loves listening to music, dancing, and spending time in nature.
Operations Director
they/them
Chris (Maddy) Aguilar Garcia is a Queer Chicanx writer and editor with an extensive career in community minded organizations and national LGBTQ nonprofit organizations. They hold a BA from Antioch University Los Angeles in Liberal Studies with a minor in Queer Studies. As Director of Operations, Chris oversees the day-to-day operations of QA, including human resources, facilities, grant management, and fund development. Outside of QA, Chris is a noted scholar of Prince, currently writing a book on the Queerness of Prince, and also serves on the board of The W. They are interested in intersectional identities and BIPOC representation, and obsessed with Frida Kahlo, Madonna, and Almodovar.
Creative Director
all pronouns
Brett Adamek (Freeda Be), MA, LPC is a queer/non-binary transpersonal somatic counselor and embodiment mentor. Freeda received a Master’s in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and is a co-founder of Queer Asterisk. Freeda supports clients in finding freedom, empowerment and authentic self-expression through increased present-moment awareness of the body and mind. He is passionate about supporting clients of diverse identities and life experiences in discovering liberation in the midst of difficult life circumstances, not in spite of them. As an Asian-American adoptee, Freeda uses his own personal journey of otherness and belonging to support clients in finding home wherever they are.
Founding & Executive Director
xe/xyr/xem
Sorin L. Thomas, MA, LPC, LAC, CGP, Founding and Executive Director of Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services, is a queer and transgender Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Addictions Counselor, and Certified Group Psychotherapist with over a decade of professional experience in the field of psychology serving queer and transgender individuals and their families. Sorin has a Masters in Somatic Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and post-graduate experience in wilderness therapy, addiction recovery, adolescent and adult residential treatment, community based services, emergency psychiatric services, and hospital settings. In addition to offering queer-affirming counseling and clinical supervision, Sorin offers consultation and diversity, equity, and inclusivity trainings through a queer lens to mental health organizations, addiction recovery centers, social service agencies, hospitals, and schools.
