Shawn Demmons

Shawn Demmons was born and raised in Los Angeles. In 2000, Shawn moved to San Francisco to avoid discrimination based on sexual identity and enrolled in San Francisco State University (SFSU). At the university, Shawn became co-editor of SFSU’s Black Studies Journal and graduated at graduated at the top of the class earning a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies. As an African American queer activist, Shawn is committed to ending social injustice perpetrated against people of color and queer communities. Shawn currently works for the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry helping formerly homeless people in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Mission Districts obtain access to primary medical and mental health services. Shawn volunteers as the Outreach Coordinator for the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and advocates for incarcerated queer African American women to have access to culturally relevant health care and to give voice to the violence and discrimination some endure based on their sexual identity. Shawn graduated from San Francisco State University with a Masters degree in public health. Shawn plans to use his education to continue to address health disparities that disproportionately impact people of color and queer communities.

Passionate and motivated public health professional with over 20 years of experience in health promotion, program administration, community health planning, implementation, and evaluation. Strong written and verbal communication skills, and ability to relate to diverse audiences. Advanced public health degree in community health education with expertise in health promotion, cultural humility, transgender health, and organizational capacity building.

Shawn Demmons is a queer African American trans man committed to social and racial justice. Shawn has engaged in community activism aimed to improve the health and well-being of those most marginalized in our society. He has organized and participated in numerous community events to increase public support, education and awareness about issues such as access to health care inside California’s prisons, linkage to care for newly diagnosed HIV positive individuals in low-income communities, and the social, political and economic marginalization of trans and gender non-binary communities. Currently, Shawn works for the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies where he provides capacity building and technical assistance services for leaders of AIDS service organizations in regions of the country most impacted by HIV. Shawn has an undergraduate degree in Black Studies and a Masters in Public Health from San Francisco State University.