About

Hayden Kristal (preferred pronouns they/them/theirs, but accepts anything said with good intent) is a Colorado-based Deaf queer activist and stand-up comedian. Life at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities has led Hayden to a career as a professional speaker, exploring the intersections of ability, gender, sexuality, and access, particularly within the spheres of activism and social justice. They have brought their funny, engaging, and interactive workshops and speeches to dozens of conferences, businesses, and schools all across North America including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, TEDx, Coldwell Banker, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Connecticut Supreme Court. 
 
Hayden’s quick wit and cheerful self-deprecation has earned them plenty of comedic accolades as well, including over 690,000 followers on TikTok, a semifinalist spot on America's Got Talent, and a guest role on Netflix & Adult Swim’s Tuca and Bertie. Hayden has been a semifinalist for Stand Up NBC, a finalist for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s Comedy Writing Mentorship, a featured performer at Limestone Comedy Festival, and has opened and featured for Maria Bamford.

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[Hayden’s] presentation on June 2nd was exactly what we hoped to provide to the Odyssey attendees, serving as an exemplary closing to the 2022 series.
 
According to the post-event survey, over 90% of respondents agreed that [Hayden’s] presentation provided them with a sense of inspiration and validation in their work, along with a sense of empowerment to overcome obstacles. A couple of the comments received are listed below:
 
‘Excellent facilitator. I really appreciated their perspective, the way they built storytelling into their facilitation, and the lens they bring to disability activism.’
 
‘The speaker was knowledgeable, friendly, held your attention and was open to questions. Awesome! I learned a lot.’
 
We greatly appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with [Hayden] on this virtual version of the Minnesota Age & Disabilities Odyssey Conference, and will hopefully see  [Hayden] in a future in-person edition of the event!

Age & Disabilities Odyssey Conference Committee
Minnesota Board on Aging
Minnesota Department of Human Services

​MORE REVIEWS

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Bestselling Author of Permanent Midnight and I, Fatty

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Programs

gaysl: A CRASH COURSE IN LGBTQ AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND INTERSECTIONALITY
This highly interactive, variable, and hilarious workshop teaches its participants LGBTQ-related American Sign Language signs while fostering a group discussion about Deaf culture, intersectionality, accessibility and more. During the presentation participants will be encouraged to sign along as we learn the signs for GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER, GENDER, ALLY, COMING-OUT, PARTNER, BINARY, DRAG KING/QUEEN, IDENTITY, RAINBOW, PRIDE, etc., as well as requested signs. The signs
serve as jumping off points for discussion about the intersection of Deafness and Queerness. (Example:
ALLY- how does Deaf culture perceive LGBTQ people? How are the Deaf received by the LGBTQ
community? What can you do to be a better ally to both groups?) The goal for this workshop is not that
participants will leave fluent in ASL--the point is to get people thinking about Deafness, disability, and the
struggles faced by LGBTQ people who are also Deaf or disabled, and to inspire people to learn more, and create accessibility to allow ALL LGBTQ people to utilize their resources and participate in their events. GaySL has been presented at a wide variety of LGBTQ, disability, and diversity conferences across North America, including the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference, the Northeast LGBT Conference, LGBT in the South, the LGBT Leadership Conference, IvyQ, the Mid-Atlantic LGBTQ Conference, the 5 College Queer Conference, the Asterisk Transgender Conference, and more. This workshop has been presented to groups ranging from 15-400 participants and can be tailored to the skill level and timeframe your event requires. This workshop has been presented for RID CEUs.
LESSONS ON ABILITY FROM MY DEAFBLIND DOG
75 minutes + Q&A

Heartwarming and unique, this multimedia keynote address talks about the lessons to be learned -about love, trust, and how we define "ability"- from Hayden's journey with their deafblind dog, Bitsy. Born completely deaf and blind, many recommended that Bitsy be euthanized as an puppy, citing concerns about her ability to function and her quality of life. Could Bitsy adapt? Could she survive in a world that was not built for her? Three years later Bitsy is not only surviving, but thriving; she does therapy work, participates in
dog sports, swims, hikes, camps, plays fetch, and is an avid canoer. But how does what the world expected for Bitsy translate to how we perceive disability on a larger scale? How do we confront the ableism we've internalized, even as people with disabilities? What does it mean to "accommodate" someone?
THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERSECTIONAL ACCESSIBILITY
This keynote address explores what it means to live life at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities and why acknowledging the complex and multifaceted nature of human identity is critical to any kind of social justice work. An abridged version of this keynote was presented as a 2016 TEDxMU Talk.

LAUGHING OUT LOUD: BRIDGING SOCIAL GAPS THROUGH COMEDY
This keynote address explores what it means to live life at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities and why acknowledging the complex and multifaceted nature of human identity is critical to any kind of social justice work. An abridged version of this keynote was presented as a 2016 TEDxMU Talk.

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