Director North America - Julia Applegate received a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies from Ohio State University in June 1997 and has worked as an adjunct professor of Women’s Studies for the past eight years. While at OSU, she studied gendered representations of tomboy characters in films for adolescent girls.

After completing her degree at Ohio State , she was active in the creation and development of a Columbus , Ohio drag king troupe, H.I.S. Kings. After the formation of H.I.S. Kings, Applegate went on to become a founding member of the International Drag King Extravaganza, a three day annual conference and performance showcase devoted to the study and expansion of traditional gender identities. The Gender Norm Exploration, or GeNiE workshop, was
developed by Julia Applegate and Heidi Madsen as a way to deconstruct stereotypical gender roles in a fun and educational workshop format. The GeNiE workshop has been offered at Conferences, Universities and Colleges throughout the State.

In addition to academic work, Julia has been involved as a community activist with the Ohio AIDS Coalition and a local swim team, the Ohio Splash. In her work with the Ohio AIDS Coalition, she has developed digital media storytelling workshops for men and women living with HIV and coordinated healing retreats for HIV+ women. As a board member of the Ohio Splash, Applegate has been active in fundraising and outreach efforts to expand the participation of local swimmers in international Gay and Lesbian aquatic competitions.

Applegate is thrilled to join the board of GLISA and looks forward to participating in the struggle to eliminate homophobia in sport and to the growth of the global GLBT sporting community.