Soccer star and activist Joanna Lohman will share her story at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester as part of the Uptown! Speaker Series on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Soccer fans and community members who value human rights, equality, and empowerment will find her presentation enlightening and insightful.
Lohman has been rocking stages and fields all over the globe for two decades. She is a former professional soccer player and member of the United States Women’s National Team. Throughout her 16-year career, she has built a platform for social impact and became the first player in Washington Spirit history to have her jersey retired.
She is a human rights activist and teacher and serves as a Sport Diplomat, traveling the world and running programs in less-developed nations that promote gender equality, conflict resolution, cultural understanding, and economic development.
Lohman grew up in Silver Spring, Md., and attended Penn State, where she was captain of the Nittany Lions from 2002-03. She earned a 3.98 GPA while obtaining her business degree, which resulted in her being a four-time Academic All-American. In 2004, she was named Pennsylvania’s NCAA Woman of the Year.
After living the first 21 years of her life as a straight woman, Lohman transformed into a gender-non-conforming, androgynous, gay woman who has overcome devastating injury, defeat, and heartbreak both on and off the soccer field. Through her own personal journey, she has helped individuals and groups define their beauty by living an unabashedly authentic life based around deep-rooted acceptance and discovering a comfort in their own skin.
Lohman knows first-hand what the game of soccer can do to build confidence. Calling herself a Rainbow Warrior, she said “I’m an advocate for self-acceptance because I believe that everyone should have the ability to define their own beauty.”
Earlier this year, she launched an online course called “Define Your Beauty,” about discovering, defining, loving, and maximizing your unique qualities and about falling in love with yourself, so you have the confidence to share who you are in the world. Corporate leaders and employees, educators, organizers, and team members of all kinds can experience her hopeful message at Uptown!
Click here for tickets.
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