Joan Benoît (she/her. they/them) was born and raised in Michigan and is an enrolled member of the Chippewa of the Thames, First Nation. Joan has been rooted in Oakland for the last 30 years and there, with her wife of 15 years, Andreana, is raising their 10-year old son.
Joan has been actively queer since her days at an all-girl Catholic high school and butch leaning since the age of 2 and able to put on her own pants. Traditional elders recognized her while her assimilated family disowned her.
Joan was the founding Executive Director of the Native American AIDS Project in 1999 and led the organization for 13 years until its closure in 2012. Joan Benoît has over 3 decades of nonprofit leadership and administration and currently serves as the President of the Board for the Crisis Support Services of Alameda County.
