JD is a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center and co-founded the LGBTQI+ (Alphabet Sangha). They’re currently in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training and completed the Dedicated Practitioner Program and the Community Dharma Leader Program. They’ve practiced Buddhism for over 20 years in the U.S., Thailand, and Burma. They worked as a public school teacher for over 20 years focusing on issues of equity and access.They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human sangha, addressing the impacts of racism, expanding concepts of gender, and living in ways that honor the sacredness of the Earth.