Dominick Ławniczak Evans is a non-binary transgender queer Polish-American filmmaker, activist, Mixerstreamer, gamer, public speaker, writer, and activist for disabled people and the LGBT community.
Early life
Evans was born in Toledo, Ohio to a Polish American father, David Ławniczak and an American mother, Pam Ryan, with mostly Irish, English, and Swiss heritage. He also has small amounts of French, Scandinavian, and Baltic ancestry. Dominick grew up in Walbridge, Ohio with an older brother. He also has two half brothers who are much older from his father's first marriage who did not live with his family. Dominick was a child actor and singer, as well as a poster child for the MDA, although he no longer supports the organization, and speaks about the harm it has done to both children with neuromuscular disabilities and the disability community. He had a contentious relationship with his parents, particularly his mother, which got worse when he came out at the age of 16. His father died of heart failure in 2001. Evans was close with his grandparents Willis "Willie" and Melba "Noonie" Ryan, who helped raise Dominick and his older brother. His grandmother, Noonie, was a singer on the radio in Toledo and taught him to sing. Evans was born with a degenerative neuromuscular disability, spinal muscular atrophy. He was diagnosed with Type III of SMA at age 4, and has had to use a wheelchair full-time since 1997. He also has asthma, chronic pain, and OCD.
Bullying
Evans had a difficult childhood where he was bullied incessantly at school. He attended Lake High School in Millbury, Ohio, where he graduated with honors in 1999. He had trouble finding the right college, where he was initially studying theater and acting. Dominick originally attended Bowling Green State University while still in high school. He left BGSU in 2000 to attended Wright State, but had to leave due to an injury. He returned to WSU in 2010, where he completed his BFA in Motion Pictures Production. He also spent a year studying theatre at a satellite school for the University of Michigan from 2009-2010. In August 2018, Dominick was featured in the book, by community activist and professor, Arjun Singh Sethi. His chapter explores an experience in high school where he was tortured by classmates as a part of a senior prank when he was a sophomore. He also talks about the rise in bullying and hate for disabled and transgender people in the wake of the Trump presidency along with his fear of being outed publicly in his neighborhood as a result of this climate.
Career
Film
Evans completed his first film, trip, in 2013. It won a 2015 IndieFEST Award of Recognition. He has worked on other films including the short film, Nance + Sydney. He is in pre-production on two short films, Inamorata and Overture, which will both begin filming in 2020. Inamorata has been in production for the last few years, and is about a lesbian couple in the 1960s, while Overture is set in present day, and is about two queer wheelchair users who meet in a nursing home. Dominick's films tend to be about marginalized individuals, and he works with diverse film crews that are predominantly made up of women, BIPOC, trans, and disabled filmmakers.
Activism
Evans has been advocating for the disability community since he was a child. He has been heavily involved in the movement for better portrayals of trans people and disability in film and other media, as well as the marriage equality movement for both LGBTQ and disabled people. He was invited to attend the White House's first forum on disability and LGBT issues in June 2014. While in college, Evans spent a lot of time studying disability in film, television, and other media. He was disturbed by what he felt was a huge lack of inclusion for disabled actors and filmmakers in the industry. He has made it a tenet of his activism, speaking on the topic regularly, including at Lights, Camera, Access! 2.0 at NYU and John Jay College in July 2015 and mentoring disabled media/film/communication students at LCA 2.0 events at the White House in November 2016 via video robot, ALF. Dominick is one of the few people to have the privilege of controlling a robot at the White House from across the country, which only happened during Pres. Obama's presidency. In 2014, Evans started the Twitter discussion #FilmDis, a now-monthly discussion that explores the problems with inclusion of those with disabilities, as well as portrayals of disability in film, television, and other media. Discussions have been attended by notable filmmakers, comic book writers, and actors. It is held the second Saturday of every month at 9 PM ET. He also hosted a panel on this topic entitled 'Crip Culture and the Media – Perceptions of Disability in Film and Television' at 2015's New York Comic Con. In 2016, he returned to NYCC via Skype for the panel, 'Where are the Wheelchairs?', which also included author and activist Day Al-Mohamed, model and activist Jillian Mercado, actress/comedienne, and advocate Maysoon Zayid, and actor/comedian, activist, and Ramy co-star, Steve Way. Dominick previously worked at the Center for Disability Rights in New York as a Media & Entertainment advocate. He currently streams video games and web shows on Mixer and Twitch while laying down, which is more comfortable for him due to chronic pain. He also does film consultation work, having consulted on shows for major networks like Netflix. In 2016, Dominick helped lead the international protests against the film Me Before You, a film that highlights assisted suicide and disability. Evans is a leading voice in the movement for marriage equality for people with disabilities. He worked with LGBT marriage equality activists in Ohio, to discuss the issue, and how it related to the LGBT community's own fight.
Honors
Evans was named one of Eight LGBT Influencers you need to know in New York Cityin the summer of 2016 by Time Out New York. Evans was named one of New Mobility magazine's 2016 People of the Year, as a part of a team of resisters who fought against assisted suicide being forced on disabled people, and the belief it is better to be dead than disabled!
Personal life
Evans lives in the Midwest, but goes between there and New York for work. He has worked primarily with his creative partner, Ashtyn Law, since 2002.
