Ash Beckham
Ash Beckham, a lesbian from Colorado, was living a private life, working for her family business and part time at a local restaurant (where the staff had become like family) when a friend suggested she apply to speak at the Boulder Ignite conference, then signed her up before she decided yes and no and without a topic. She was accepted, and her speech about the term “that’s so gay” and how to decide when it’s use was inappropriate and derogatory led to a TEDX talk about having the hard conversations we all need to have in our lives. She learned these lessons after facing up to the need to come out to her own family and now speaks about the imperative for all of us to “come out” with the truth of our lives. She speaks to numerous groups, including a recent talk at the LGBTQI conference at Harvard, about the importance of honest conversations. She has become an advocate fro support of several nonprofit groups that support causes she believes in.
