Ash Beckham is an equality advocate, and her presentations are dynamic, highly relatable, and comical. Beckham will visit Penn State Berks at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Beckham is no stranger to hard conversations. In her work, she shares how coming out as a lesbian helped her to appreciate our common humanity and better understand the hardships that we all face. As an equality advocate, she combines personal experience and wisdom to help everyone bravely face their demons.

Beckham refers to herself as an “accidental advocate,” because she never intended for her speeches to have an impact on so many. Two online videos of her TEDx talks “Coming Out of Your Closet” and "Owning Your Duality" and her Boulder Ignite speech “I am SO GAY” have gone viral with more than 10 million YouTube views, and her message has become a topic of global discussion. Beckham’s inspiring presentations are delivered in classrooms, boardrooms, and auditoriums around the world.

Penn State Berks reserves the right to limit the photography and/or recording of any program. The permitted or prohibited activities during a particular program will be announced at the beginning of the event and/or included in the printed program. All media requesting interviews and/or access to photograph and/or tape any program must contact the Office of Strategic Communications at 610-396-6053.

This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.