Jenn Burleton
Jenn Burleton is an American educator, advocate, and former professional musician whose work has focused on transgender and gender-diverse children and families.[1][2] She founded TransActive Education & Advocacy, an Oregon organization that later became the TransActive Gender Project at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling.[3]
Career
[edit]Music
[edit]Burleton began her professional career as a musician, songwriter, and arranger in 1974 and continued working in music until 2010, including as a guitarist and keyboardist.[4][1] A 1991 U.S. Copyright Office record lists Jennifer Burleton, using the pseudonym Brenna Page, as a claimant for the unpublished musical work Wolf/Page collection 1.[5]
Burleton co-produced Travis Rush's 2006 debut album, Come and Get It, with Rush and contributed to its songwriting.[6][7] U.S. Copyright Office records identify Burleton and Rush jointly as claimants for three songs that appeared on the album: "I Wanna Be with You", "You Gotta Live", and the title track.[8][9][10]
In a 2013 interview with PQ Monthly, Burleton said that she had twice performed at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She later supported a boycott by performers in opposition to the festival's exclusionary admissions policy.[11][12]
Advocacy and education
[edit]Burleton founded TransActive Education & Advocacy in 2007.[2] The organization supported transgender and gender-diverse children and their families through family groups, referrals, school advocacy, and professional training.[1][13] Oregon business records show that the nonprofit incorporated in December 2008 and changed its name to TransActive Gender Center in 2013.[14]
The San Francisco Bay Times reported in 2008 that Burleton had earlier helped establish Trans Youth Family Allies and had produced Out of the Shadows, a short film about transgender and gender-nonconforming young people.[1]
The New York Times reported that Burleton's advocacy for access to puberty blockers followed a 2006 presentation by physician Norman Spack. According to the Times, after returning to Oregon she encouraged pediatric endocrinologists to offer the treatment to adolescent patients.[15] Oregon Health Authority meeting records also document her testimony about transgender healthcare coverage in 2014.[16]
In 2019, TransActive became the TransActive Gender Project at Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, with Burleton serving as program director.[3] Reporting at the time described the project as continuing family support and professional education while expanding its institutional partnerships.[3][17]
In 2025, Oregon Capital Chronicle described Burleton as an advocate and consultant and quoted her about continuing barriers to transgender healthcare in Oregon.[18]
Recognition
[edit]Burleton received the Multnomah County Citizen Involvement Committee's Sy Award in 2014 for her social-justice work.[19][20] In 2021, LGBTQ Nation selected her for its Hometown Hero recognition for her advocacy on behalf of transgender youth.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Anderson-Minshall, Jacob (March 13, 2008). "Helping Trans Kids Out of the Shadows". San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Sprayregen, Molly (October 8, 2021). "Trans youth advocate Jenn Burleton is an LGBTQ Nation Hometown Hero of 2021". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Dolan, CK (February 28, 2019). "The TransActive Gender Project Expands the Scope of Its Advocacy for Trans and Gender-Diverse Youth". Portland Mercury. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "About Jenn Burleton". Burleton Education. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Wolf/Page collection 1 — PAu001532521". Copyright Public Records System. United States Copyright Office. July 24, 1991. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Come and Get It (CD liner notes). Mason Records. 2006. MR-CD107.
- ↑ Fulghum, Sherrill (2006). "Travis Rush – Come and Get It Review". Rocknworld.com. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "I wanna be with you — SRu000603189". Copyright Public Records System. United States Copyright Office. December 21, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "You gotta live — SRu000603190". Copyright Public Records System. United States Copyright Office. December 21, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Come and get it — SRu000603191". Copyright Public Records System. United States Copyright Office. December 21, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Rook, Erin (July 18, 2013). "Hidden in plain view: A trans activist reflects on performing at MichFest". PQ Monthly. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Michfest Could Change Its Trans Female Exclusionary Intention Only If It Tried, Only If It Wanted To". Autostraddle. August 13, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ O'Donnell, Courtney (November 1, 2012). "A Sobering Number". Just Out. p. 14. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Business Registry record — TransActive Gender Center, Inc". Oregon Business Registry. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Twohey, Megan; Jewett, Christina (November 14, 2022). "They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Value-based Benefits Subcommittee meeting materials" (PDF). Oregon Health Authority. May 8, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Merzbach, Hanna (2022). "Transforming Lives". Lewis & Clark College. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, Jake (October 9, 2025). "Two years on, Oregon's transgender health care law faces obstacles". Oregon Capital Chronicle. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Oregon Trans Timeline". Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
- ↑ Juvenile Law 2018: Moving from the Outside In (PDF). Oregon State Bar. 2018. p. vii. Retrieved September 22, 2026.