It Gets Better Names Chappell Roan as First-Ever “Joy Rebel of the Year”

In late October 2024, ten LGBTQ+ young people from all across the country gathered in Los Angeles, many meeting in person for the first time for the second annual It Gets Better Youth Voices summit.

They bonded, talked about issues facing queer youth, discussed activism and advocacy… and then they talked about queer joy. We told them the theme for our end of year campaign was called Joy Rebellion and we asked each of them, individually, what brings them joy.

Six of them, unaware of what anyone else had answered, said Chappell Roan. First words out of their mouth.

When you sense a theme, run with it.

We asked them why and their answers ran the gamut — she takes up space unapologetically, her lyrics make conversations about identity and relationships less awkward, she advocates for queer youth, she isn’t afraid to self-advocate.

The list goes on, and on, and on.

In fact, the list was so robust, they asked if they could write an article about Chappell and what she means to them. And in writing it, they had another question — can we make Chappell Roan our Joy Rebel of the Year?

The answer was simple — as an org that centers youth voices and perspectives as much as humanly possible, if they wrote it, we’d get it out there.

So today, December 9, 2024, we are honored to announce Chappell Roan as It Gets Better’s first ever “Joy Rebel of the Year.” As the Youth Voices Class of 2025 so appropriately wrote, “Chappell Roan represents a world where queer identities can be loud and proud, even in places that don’t always feel welcoming. She shows us queer joy is universal, uniting us through shared experiences. She makes us feel less alone and that anything is possible, no matter where we’re from, and that’s a rare and beautiful gift.”

You can read the full article now on Out.com. You can read more about our Joy Rebellion here!