Shawna Virago is a celebrated San Francisco based musician and activist. Miss Virago is a singer/songwriter whose music twists together folk punk and roots music creating anthems for a new generation. Her songs are raw observations about survival in a predatory world, sticking up for the underdog, queer love and gender outlaws. Her performances are celebrated for their compelling mix of original songs, storytelling and standup.

A longtime favorite in San Francisco’s underground transgender music scene, Virago’s songs are known for her irony laced lyrics that range from sexy to sarcastic, polemic to political, haunting to heartfelt. Her songs dig deep at police brutality, the economic marginalization of transgender people and life lived on the sweet continuum of being transgender.

Virago has toured extensively to theaters, clubs, Festivals, Pride stages, colleges and universities. Recent appearances have included the National Queer Arts Festival, The San Francisco Trans March Stage, The Femme Conference, The Tranny Roadshow, The Fresh Meat Festival, The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, HomoAGoGo, Sex Workers Art Show, Los Angeles Pride, Long Beach Pride, San Francisco Pride, and more.

Virago has been an LGBT anti-violence activist for over 15 years. She is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival and her own films have screened throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Virago is also a published writer and her latest work is included in Gender Outlaws The Next Generation. She is featured in the documentary Diagnosing Difference, which critically dissects GID (gender identity disorder). Miss Virago also composed original music for choreographer Sean Dorsey’s acclaimed dance theater work Uncovered: The Diary Project, about pioneering transman Lou Sullivan.

for booking information and promotional materials: www.shawnavirago.com

LGBT COMMUNITY ACTIVISM (partial list):

Artistic Director, Tranny Fest Transgender Film Festival

Board Member, Fresh Meat Productions

Former Advisory Board Member, Transgender Gender Variant Inmate Project

Domestic Violence Survivor Program Director, Community United Against Violence

Former Member Board of Directors, Transgender Law Center

Former Member Board of Directors, San Francisco Women Against Rape

Former Member, Transgender Human Rights Task Force

San Francisco Pride Parade 2002 Grand Marshal

Member, National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Transgender Law Project Advisory Committee

Founding Member TransAction, a group of transpeople dedicated to organizing and exposing state violence against transgender and genderqueer people

TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS (partial list):

Facilitated Transgender Sensitivity Trainings, Queer Anti-Violence Trainings and Anti-Oppression Trainings with these organizations:

Hastings Law School, San Francisco Women Against Rape, Frameline LGBT film festival, Women Incorporated domestic violence agency, La Cases de Las Madres women’s shelter, Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, University of San Francisco, University of California San Francisco, Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center, MultiCultural Family Violence Prevention Conference, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, Young Woman’s Health Conference, Harvey Milk Academy, Out Loud & Proud, Critical Resistance, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Women’s Health Conference, Gender Odyssey Conference, LGBT Communities Against Iraq War, Asian Women’s Shelter, the Femme Conference & San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium.