The Interpreter Has No Name. GRRRL Live 2018

I caught up with Gretchen Hoffer and i'm really excited to share her point of view on GRRRL Live. Before attending GRRRL Live I was completely ignorant to the needs of the deaf community and I have to say, I still have so much to learn. I appreciate Gretchen for being patient with my questions and truly educating me. I'm so thankful that topics like these were addressed during the panel and that we GRRRLS have been given the opportunity to become better humans. - Kelly aka Spunky
"My experience with GRRRL live 2018 was nothing short of amazing. I also attended GL17 and while it, too, was life changing, this year really brought home the idea of sisterhood as well as bringing us all together in such amazing ways. The opportunity we had to build connections with each other as well as the work that we were able to do on ourselves really made this year so much better. When I think back to what I took away from that weekend it is always the moments where I was focusing on what I wanted to improve about myself or an experience in connecting with another Grrrl. I seriously cannot wait for GL19 because I know that it is only going to be bigger and better than each year before it!!
I was brought into GRRRL Live last year and this year as interpreter for one of our fellow Grrrls, who is deaf and uses ASL to communicate. It was exciting to be part of the movement and also to advocate for the deaf community in this way. My husband is deaf and I work with the deaf as a mental health therapist so being able to connect with others in the community, help bring awareness to the community, and support deaf Grrrls has been so amazing.
While this experience was really cool and amazing, what was also amazing was all the times that different Grrrls came up to me throughout the weekend to ask questions about ASL, Deaf culture, the Deaf community, and how they can be more respectful and understanding of the needs of a Deaf person. Especially after the panel on intersectional feminism, which really opened the eyes to many Grrrls about the struggles that individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing struggle with on a daily basis. It has been such an amazing experience to see so much growth happen not only in myself but from all the Grrrls around me and how much GRRRL Live created a place for us to do this kind of exploration and development."

- Can you please tell me your thoughts on being involved in the panel?
- There is a video floating around social media with you teaching Rose Namajunas some important ASL signs. What was that like for you? Can you tell us about the signs you were teaching her?
