Comments from the talk I did at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library/Monroe CT

Thank you for all who attended!  It was an amazing audience.

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• Great for our community!  Great presentation! Thank you!

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• Easy for cis people to follow – I wish she would do programs FOR transgender people

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• It is a much needed discussion.  We need more of this in schools! Starting young!

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• She spoke from the heart and was very authentic.  Thank you for bringing this speaker in.

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• Very personable, down-to-earth presenter.  Thank you to Jillian for sharing her truth.

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• Wonderful!

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• I appreciated that Jillian created a safe space to ask questions and explore the materials.  This was a well-presented program and is sorely needed.

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• So sincerely, thank you again for your presentation.  I hope to work together in the future and hopefully you get more speaking engagements from this

 

 

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Jill's program was educational, honest, and helpful. Our audience included teens, adults (including school educators), and seniors. Everyone who participated in the program left with a new level of understanding and compassion for their neighbor. I highly recommend booking Jill's program! 

Tina Panik

Reference & Adult Services Manager

Farmers Market Manager/Local Author Festival & AvonCon co-founder
Avon Free Public Library

 

 

 

Milford Public Library hosted an evening with Jill Celentano which we called “Transgender 101.”   In the middle of a horrific rainstorm, we had 19 people come to see it.  This is clearly an audience in need of guidance, and Jill, with her gentle and easy manner, made it easy for people to ask questions and make comments.  The presentation was very well organized and suitable for everyone.  What was most important to me, was that audience members stayed to talk to one another – some even exchanged telephone numbers!  We will have her back in the spring – and hope the weather’s better!

Nancy Abbey

Milford Public Library

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Jill was a wonderful resource to our patrons. Her humor, honesty, and straightforwardness--while of course maintaining tact--made her very accessible, and patrons felt comfortable asking questions and for clarification. One or two of my patrons especially benefited from knowing they aren't alone or completely without support in our local area, and those of us who were cisgendered--even us allies--all learned a lot! Jill's warmth and ability to roll with the punches really made the program effective!

Marisa Reichert

Reference Librarian

Springfield City Library, MA

 

 

 

 

I was thrilled to have Jillian at the Chappaqua Library.  She carefully explained her story with charm and wit. The audience responded in kind.  I got many compliments to give to Jillian for such a great presentation.  I hope to have her return.

Joan Kuhn

Program Coordinator

Chappaqua Library

New York

 

 

 

Hello Jillian,

On behalf of the staff, and patrons on Mitchell Library I want to thank you so much for sharing your presentation, Trans 101 at our library last night. Your slide show presentation, and short YouTube videos were very well thought out and helped to "break the ice". I think everyone in the program was touched by hearing your personal story as well. Thanks for preparing terrific handouts including definitions of Trans friendly terms, and community resources for Trans awareness and LGBTQ support. 

We have been receiving more and more questions form adults, parents, teens and children for books and LGBTQ resources at our library and this is why the timing or your offer to present,  Trans 101 was just perfect. You made us all proud to host such an informative, lively, and warm conversation. I was particularly amazed at how many teens came to the program, and how eager they were to talk out loud, and with you after the program. Teens that come to our library are usually very shy, you really made them feel comfortable, thank you! 

Please feel free to share my contact info and this note of gratitude with any other libraries or organizations! I will also recommend your program to my colleagues in the other New Haven Library branches, so get ready! 

Sharon Lovett-Graff

Branch Manager, Mitchell Library

New Haven 

 

 

 

Jill facilitated a safe, judgment-free space for a diverse audience to ask questions, seek guidance, and learn how to best support our trans* friends and family. Her presentation is filled with warm humor, as if you’re watching a lifelong friend share their story, rather than a stranger. She was a pleasure to work with, from start to finish, making herself easily available over email and leading with flexibility. A delight!

Mallory Arents

Head of Adult Programming and Community Engagement

Darien Library | darienlibrary.org

 

 

 

 

Jill gave an outstanding program on transitioning to become transgender. She broke down the terminology into easy-to-understand language and was honest about her life experiences. I would highly recommend Jill for a program.”

Maura Beaudreault

Webmaster / Publicity Specialist

West Hartford Libraries

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Listen to Interview with Ashley from KC101 morning show

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I sat down to chat with a friend Jill who recently went through her own transgender journey.

This is her beautiful story of finding and loving herself in her own skin.

Jill is now going back to school to get her psychology degree to help those struggling to find themselves.

Thank you Jill for all you do and for being such an inspiration to everyone!

If you have any questions or want more resources regarding this topic (maybe you just would like someone to talk to) - you can reach out to Jill ,The Pride Center in New Haven, The Triangle Center in Norwalk and True Colors in Hartford

You are never alone! :)

Ashley KC101

 

 

 

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Jill Celentano's presentation of "Transgender 101: What's It All About" at the Wallingford Public Library in February 2018 was terrific! Jill is warm and easygoing and told her personal story in a heartfelt and humorous way. She was very open and honest, and answered questions respectfully. I highly recommend Jill for any presentation in any setting!

Julie Rio

Adult Programming and Community Services Librarian,

Wallingford Public Library

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Hello Jillian,

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First and foremost, I wanted to say you did a very well presenting your paper in front of class this past Thursday. Besides this affecting you on a personal level; you seem very well passionate about this subject and the paper you wrote, which made it more intriguing. The video presented in class was very touching and I was shocked when it stated 58% of transgender attempt or commit suicide. I also, liked you how stated the letter “T” should be removed from LGBT and I never looked at it in that way as it is a gender identity and the rest are sexual preferences. I took many things away with me from what I learned at your presentation, and it was an eye-opening experience and found it useful to help spread more love and understanding to all.

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Your paper was very well-written, and I enjoyed reading it. It is disheartening how our society looks at transgender differently and unnatural than other countries. Fortunately, I was raised with love, showing love and support to other and let other people be happy if it is not hurting anyone else or themselves. I found the protocols stated in your paper very crucial and can agree with them all, especially providing therapy and support not only for the client but, for the families as well. I do agree it is crucial for youths to have family support in everything they do especially, a life changing experience such as this transition.

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Again, you did a very well job with your presentation and paper. It made me want to investigate taking courses to familiarize myself with the transgender community as I am sure I will come across a transgender who needs help in my professional career.

Best of luck to you on your journey, personally and professionally.

Marisol

Student

Albertus Magnus

 

 

 

 

 

 

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