Ryan Sallans is an international speaker and writer who specializes in gender, orientation and healthcare. Over the past 20 years, Ryan has served as a gender speaker and consultant for corporations, healthcare institutions, federal agencies, universities, and community.
An internationally utilized gender subject matter expert, Ryan interweaves personal narrative storytelling with scientific research and cultural studies. His work is designed to help audiences and individuals break down the barriers that gender presents us all.
In June 2021, Ryan became the first person outside a jurist to address the United States Courts for a Heritage Month Event. In April and July of 2022, he became the first person to open a plenary for our federal magistrate on the topics of sex and gender.
After his appearance in the documentary Gender Rebel featured on MTV’s LOGO network in 2006, Ryan began traveling to universities where he shared the story of his transition from female to male and his recovery from an eating disorder.
He has been interviewed twice on Larry King Live, Ricki: The New Ricki Lake Show, Trisha, NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook,Cheddar TV . He also made an acting cameo in the web series, Brothers.
Ryan has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and magazines including The Advocate, USNews, BuzzFeed, The Chicago Bureau, International Business Times, Baltimore Gay Life, and The Huffington Post.
From 2008 to 2020, Ryan served as the Lead Author and Subject Matter Expert for an extensive range of e-learning courses used around the nation to train healthcare professionals and staff seeking continuing education around serving the sexual and gender minority communities. These courses were part of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).
His academic publications include several personal narratives and viewpoints for peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Ethics (2023), Journal of Ethics (2020), Journal of Ethics (2016), Journal of Ethics in Mental Health (2015), and Contemporary Sexuality (2012).
Ryan has authored the books Second Son: Transitioning Toward My Destiny, Love and Life (Scout Publishing, 2013) and Transforming Manhood: A trans man’s quest to build bridges and knock downwalls(Scout Publishing, 2019). He is currently working on his third book, Finding Me: Finding We (Scout Publishing, forthcoming).
Ryan Sallans graduated with Sigma Tau Delta honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he received a Bachelor of Arts in cultural anthropology and English, a Master of Arts in English (specializing in creative writing), and a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology (specializing in human health behavior).
He now serves on the Council of Alumni Ambassadors for his alma mater.
