Kristen Parker Lovell

Kristen Parker Lovell (born c. 1980) is an American trans rights activist, filmmaker, and former *** worker. After experiencing homelessness as a teenager in New York City during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lovell went on to work for various organisations advocating for the rights of trans people and *** workers. After studying filmmaking at Lincoln Center, she went on to co-direct the documentary film The Stroll (2023), based in part on her experiences as a *** worker.

In 2007, Lovell was featured in the documentary film Queer Street, where she was interviewed about her experiences as a queer homeless youth. Lovell subsequently stated that her discomfort at the film being made by non-queer filmmakers inspired her to tell trans stories from her own trans perspective.

Lovell first purchased a camera while doing *** work in the Meatpacking District, and used it to document her experiences, as well as those of other *** workers working on the Stroll. Lovell stated that she tried to capture the "essence" of her experience, including doing *** work, experiencing discrimination as both a *** worker and a black trans woman, and also sharing camaraderie with other *** workers.

Lovell went on to study at the Artists Academy at Lincoln Center, where she had a small role in the drama film The Garden Left Behind (2019). Lovell also produced the film, and its director, Flavio Alves, stated that Lovell's experiences of living life as a trans woman led to him changing his script to better represent the experiences of trans people. Lovell also had a guest role in the sketch comedy series Random Acts of Flyness (2018).