By the time Noel realized she was gay, she was deeply involved in the Catholic church. She was eventually forced to resign as a college campus minister, and while this was extremely painful, she has cultivated a new sense of spirituality and purpose.
Jessica, who has a love for activism and youth leadership programs, and her wife Kayla, who grew up attending summer camp, have married their passions to create Camp Brave Trails: a leadership camp for LGBTQ youth.
When Trystan, a trans man, wanted to build his family, he decided to have a child biologically despite the social risks and personal challenges. Here’s what it was like for him and his partner.
After growing up facing intolerable bullying and harassment for being gay, Roddy attempted suicide several times. Hoping to prevent anyone else from going through this, he dedicated himself to serving as a resource and source of hope for LGBTQ youth.
Susan knew she was gay from a young age, but she had to keep it secret as an FBI agent. After spending years in the male-dominated FBI and NYPD, she was well prepared to make a splash as a lesbian in the male-dominated world of surf music.
Dani’s gender non-conforming kids helped her come to terms with her own identity, and she now works to make the coffee industry more queer-friendly.
As a student of library science, David loves books. His passion led him to get involved with a program that equips LGBTQ prisoners with books as a means of empowerment in an oppressive system.
Ji faced discrimination on all fronts as an immigrant growing up in a homophobic Colorado. She now uses writing and filmmaking to transform her experiences into stories of hope for bullied LGBTQ youth.
After trying on several identities, Lee began to embrace gender non-conformity. This is their story of breaking the binary, building community, being visible, and raising HIV/AIDS awareness.
When Sahara first started transitioning, she was out and proud. But with time, she felt herself slipping into stealth mode, wanting to just blend in. Now she’s ready to make this her year of visibility.
