Meet Charlie Ocean | LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, and consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlie Ocean and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlie, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Learning to say “no” has been critical for maintaining my joy and cultivating meaningful communities. If I continue saying “yes” to relationships that have run their course, jobs where I’ve stopped growing, and clients whose values don’t align with mine just for the money (which can be all too easy to justify), it takes away time and space from the opportunities and relationships that add much more value to my life. Being unwavering in my “no” is equally vital. I cherish the growth that comes from facing new challenges; it’s how I know I’m living my values.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve been an LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, and consultant for over two decades now. It all started in the early 2000s when I began sharing my story. Not everyone can say they’ve been a topic on their own midterms and finals. 🙂 This sparked my love for LGBTQ+ community organizing, too. By high school, I was already part of the planning committee for Models of Pride, an all-day LGBTQ+ youth conference still running in Los Angeles. By 2010, I transitioned from primarily sharing my story to weaving it into structured training sessions, becoming a regular guest speaker at several college classes and campuses.

My passion ignited the day I spoke up in Sheila’s 11th-grade honors English class. We were discussing gay authors – a rare conversation back then, even in Los Angeles – when a student claimed being gay was a choice. That moment, I found my voice and began sharing my story as a queer person. I’d been a speaker before, but never with something so personal and close to my heart. Sheila let me have that moment, sensing it would become a core foundation of my being. Years later, she said it was one of the top highlights of her career.

In community college, I noticed how unprepared professors were to address LGBTQ+ topics if they came up. Each semester, I held my breath, bracing for the next jarring incident. Seeing professors visibly uncomfortable when addressing me, unsure how to politely ask about my gender or pronouns, was uncomfortable. One night, during a gender-segregated class activity, the instructor questioned me about being on the women’s side, prompting a panic that led me to moderate the conversation to participate more comfortably. The human sexuality course asking men and women what they liked in the “opposite gender” felt like a bizarre social experiment. Thus, I organized panels and events and became the GSA president to create change. Once, I was summoned mid-class to answer LGBTQ+ questions from a former group project being screened.

This continued throughout my college education into my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. I wondered if “being out” would detract from my work as a social worker or add to it. At the time, I didn’t have the answer.

These experiences echoed in workplaces—the faux pas, the confused looks, the questions I felt obliged to answer. After years of doing LGBTQ+ 101 and similar sessions, I always come back to this work, along with LGBTQ+ community organizing.

In 2009, I was LA Pride’s Outstanding Youth Leadership awardee, the second-ever person to win it. It was awkward since I was used to being behind the scenes but waving from the back of a convertible to thousands of people during the march was unforgettable. The organizers realized how much they still had to learn about trans and nonbinary people due to connecting with me that year. The next year, they introduced a new “Person of the Year” award, doing away with the separated woman and man of the year categories—a change that genuinely touched me as they specifically invited me back for the announcement.

My biggest challenge now is navigating the anti-DEI backlash amid increasing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation. While I don’t have all the answers, this has become my life’s work and passion. I’m determined to ensure employees never experience what I previously had—being able to show up without the burden of educating others or wondering if their workplace is affirming. I want to be able to go out of business because my services are no longer needed; that’s when I’ll feel I can stop this work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been fortunate to have a few friends visit me in Denver since moving here back in 2019. My greatest memories playing tour guide are the bats that chased me and my best friend Nikki out of Washington Park and spending too much on food and drinks at Tacos Tequila Whiskey with Nikki, Molly, Tia + Brian, and Katie—all separate friend visits. Some day trips I’ve loved most are exploring Golden and Fort Collins. Meow Wolf is a must if folks haven’t been. The Celestial Seasonings Tour is a great option. Just so you know, when you exit through the gift shop, there are hand carts to carry your tea. Don’t learn the hard way I did, standing in line with boxes falling out of my arms, prompting a stranger to grab me one; I had tunnel vision! A solid stop on the way back is Redstone Meadery. All trips involve supporting local businesses, especially local coffee shops since most of my friends can’t seem to live without coffee.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am immensely grateful to Jenny, Bridget, Sheila, Bree, and Richard, who have long encouraged me to live up to my full potential, even though I didn’t know what that meant at the time. I couldn’t have made it through elementary school without Jenny’s support and encouragement to stand up for myself. Without Bridget helping me face an ugly truth and showing me what unconditional love looks like, or Bree, the guidance counselor who defended me and ensured I could graduate on time after a difficult period, I wouldn’t have survived high school. Sheila, one of my high school teachers, gave me my first unexpected stage to share my story as a queer person, helping me combat misinformation and find my voice. Without Richard, who built my confidence as a leader and made me feel my contributions were valuable, I couldn’t have come this far or ever left community college. I owe my life and success to the kindness of these individuals, who are some of the strangers foundational in helping me find my way over the years, inspiring me to trust the strangers yet to come. They have shaped the adult I am today by being the adult I needed in my youth.

Website: https://hicharlieocean.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hicharlieocean/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hicharlieocean/