Draft:Rhea Debussy

Rhea Debussy, usually cited as Dorian Rhea Debussy, is an American academic and transgender rights activist. She is best known for activism related to transgender people in sports. In January 2022, she gained national attention for resigning as a diversity facilitator in protest against the NCAA's updated transgender participation policy. Later that year, Debussy became director of external affairs for Equitas Health, an organization in Ohio that works on issues related to LGBTQ+ rights and healthcare advocacy. She is also a part-time lecturer in women's studies at the Ohio State University.

Early life and education
Debussy grew up in a military family in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Moore. As an undergraduate, she attended Columbus State University and studied abroad at the University of Oxford. She earned her master's degree and PhD in political science at the University of Connecticut, working with Professor Christine Sylvester as her dissertation advisor.

After completing her doctorate in 2018, Debussy accepted a position leading LGBTQ work at Kenyon College. She came out as transgender during this time.

Kenyon College
In 2018, Debussy began working for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Kenyon College, leading LGBTQ programs and initiatives. She also taught an introductory queer studies course, which became a permanent part of the college's curriculum in 2019.

Debussy organized the college's inaugural queer and transgender studies conference in spring 2019. With more than 130 students from 15 academic institutions participating, it was the largest LGBTQ+ student conference in the state of Ohio. The conference took place again in 2021, and it was held virtually.

Debussy left Kenyon College for a position with Equitas Health in summer 2022.

NCAA
While at Kenyon College, Debussy — in summer 2019 and along with Kayla Hayes of Denison University — became one of the first two people in Ohio to be trained as a facilitator for the NCAA LGBTQ OneTeam Program. The program was developed to help athletic department employees better understand and support the needs of LGBTQ athletes. By fall 2019, Debussy and Hayes had held five training sessions for more than 130 people, including coaches and athletics department employees at Denison University and Kenyon College.

In spring 2021, a group of NCAA Division III coaches — led by Debussy and in coordination with the Human Rights Campaign — published an open letter advocating for the rights of transgender people in sports. Debussy critiqued changes to the NCAA's transgender policy in 2022. Through a statement with Athlete Ally, she, in protest, publicly resigned from her role with NCAA Division III athletics, making national  and international headlines.

Debussy's departure from the NCAA and her transgender rights activism led to transmisogynistic threats. In early 2022, students at Kenyon College asked the college to issue a statement to condemn these threats against Debussy. The college did not initially release a statement, and students delivered a list of demands to President Sean M. Decatur. Later that spring, the college released a statement. Debussy then announced that she was leaving Kenyon College for a position with Equitas Health.

Equitas Health
Currently, Debussy leads public policy work for Equitas Health. While there, Debussy has spoken publicly about access to HIV/AIDS prevention medication like PrEP, the Food and Drug Administration's blood donation policy for gay and bisexual men, the federal government's distribution of monkeypox vaccines,  reproductive rights, and rates of violence against transgender people.

In January 2024, Debussy criticized the Ohio General Assembly, after the passage of a gender affirming care ban for youth. Following Governor Mike DeWine's proposed restrictions on gender affirming care for adults in Ohio, Debussy publicly criticized both the proposal and the governor.

Other LGBTQ activism
Debussy has been involved in various LGBTQ organizations both in Licking County, Ohio and Knox County, Ohio.

In 2020, Debussy founded the Ace and Aro Alliance of Central Ohio, which is Ohio's first asexual and aromantic organization. The group held their first event in fall 2020, and they have continued to grow in recent years. Debussy left her role in summer 2022, but she has continued to speak about asexuality.

Debussy's transgender rights activism has also continued both in Ohio and nationally. In recent years, the Ohio General Assembly has considered bills to ban transgender athletes, and Debussy has opposed these bills. Nationally, Debussy joined GLAAD and other LGBTQ activists in signing a letter that criticized transgender coverage at The New York Times in 2022. She has also publicly spoken about the national rise in anti-trans legislation, including attempts to restrict gender affirming care for adults.

Honors and recognition
While at Kenyon College, Debussy was recognized for her work with LGBTQ students and programs. During this time, the college also received national recognition for LGBTQ inclusion from Campus Pride.

When affiliated with the North Coast Athletic Conference of the NCAA, Debussy was a finalist for the NCAA Division III's inaugural LGBTQ Staff/Administrator/Coach of the Year Award in 2021. In 2022, Debussy was again announced as a finalist for that same NCAA award.

Debussy was featured in the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio's Trans Spotlight Series in 2022. That same year, she was also the recipient of the Trans Activist Award at Cleveland’s International Transgender Day of Visibility event.

Specialty Guidebooks

 * Debussy, Dorian Rhea. 2023. Freedom to Serve: The Definitive Guide to LGBTQ+ Military Service. 3rd edition. Eds. Jennifer Dane and Emily Starbuck Gerson. Washington, D.C.: Modern Military Association of America.

Articles

 * Debussy, Dorian Rhea. 2024. "LGBTQ+ Workers Want More Than Just Pride Flags in June." Yahoo! News. Republished from The Conversation (website).

Personal life
Originally from the Deep South, Debussy now lives in the Midwest. Debussy is a transgender woman, who uses she/her pronouns. Debussy previously underwent transgender voice therapy at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.