It Gets Better’s Youth Voices Announce 2025 Joy Rebels of the Year

It Gets Better’s Youth Voices ambassadors have selected their picks for 2025’s Joy Rebels of the Year, two artists who exemplify what it means to use joy as an act of rebellion, whose presence and advocacy resonate deeply with LGBTQ+ youth. This year’s joy rebels are recording artist, actress, and New York Times-bestselling author Hayley Kiyoko and YouTube sensation turned musician Noahfinnce.

• Read the Youth Voices tribute to Hayley Kiyoko.

• Read the Youth Voices tribute to Noahfinnce.

Having been appropriately nicknamed “Lesbian Jesus” by her fans, our Youth Voices write that discovering Hayley Kiyoko “feels like finally seeing yourself reflected in full color.

“Songs like ‘Girls Like Girls,’ ‘Sleepover,’ ‘Curious,’ and ‘What I Need’ place queer love at the center instead of hiding it behind metaphors. She writes openly about first crushes, heartbreak, desire, and confusion, and makes it feel okay to have those conversations. With her bestselling young adult novels Girls Like Girls and Where There’s Room for Us, Hayley has created even more space for queer teens to see themselves as main characters whose stories are worth telling and never something to be erased or toned down.”

Noahfinnce “tells the truth without dressing it up. For those of us growing up trans, neurodivergent, or unsure about our identities, his videos and songs are a place where we can truly see ourselves. He doesn’t live to be some sort of inspiration, but rather for himself and his passions. Through songs like Asthma Attack,’ he highlights the intensity of gender dysphoria and anxiety. Across his music and videos, he talks about transition, ADHD, autism, and mental health in a way that feels sincere and grounded, then layers it with humor and punk energy.”

“For queer teens who often grow up online searching for community, Noah feels like someone who speaks our language. He gives us a version of masculinity that makes space for emotional honesty and vulnerability without shame, reminding trans youth that their futures can be joyful, messy, and fully theirs.”

Together, Hayley Kiyoko and Noahfinnce embody what our Joy Rebel of the Year honor is all about: queer and trans artists who refuse to shrink, apologize, or treat their identities as an afterthought. They don’t just make art our Youth Voices love. They model futures where LGBTQ+ young people get to be complex, loud, joyful, and unapologetically themselves.

The Joy Rebel of the Year tradition started in 2024, when we asked our Youth Voices what brought them joy. Six of them — answering separately — said the same name first: Chappell Roan. That moment turned a simple question into a new annual tradition: queer youth choosing the creators who are rewriting what queer joy can look like.

Youth Voices is a twice-yearly cohort of high-school students ages 14-18 who team up with our organization to offer their unique stories and words of advice to other LGBTQ+ youth around the globe. They are students, artists, and activists who are working to change their communities for the better and who have a passion for empowering their LGBTQ+ peers. Since its inception in 2020, we have had 38 trailblazers from across the U.S. participate in this year-long leadership development program.