8 Young Activists, 8 Powerful Voices – Meet Our Youth Voices for Fall/Winter 2025

By Raelee Sweet

I am incredibly proud to announce the eight young activists who will be joining It Gets Better for our Fall/Winter 2025 Youth Voices cohort! These young emerging leaders will spend the next several months learning to use their stories and experiences to better advocate for themselves and their peers while forming life-long connections with each other. They each bring deeply unique perspectives, stories, and experiences to our organization, but they share a common interest in making this world a better place for LGBTQ+ young people.

Every year, we find a new, amazing group of teens. We’ve had artists, scientists, environmental activists, and filmmakers. This year, we have a lot of theater kids and content creators. But something that struck me in particular about this class is the overwhelming Latine representation.

This summer, we received a record-breaking number of Youth Voices applications from Latine youth, which resulted in 50% Hispanic/Latine representation in our cohort for the first time ever.

The world can feel incredibly overwhelming these days, and that feeling is magnified tenfold for Latine LGBTQ+ youth. They are navigating the day to day stressors of being a teenager and navigating their identity journey all while dealing with laws threatening their safety and support, cultural struggles with their queer identity, and the daily fear of raids in their schools, homes, and places of work. I am blown away by their courage, strength, and hope, and I can’t wait to see the incredible work they will accomplish this fall/winter.

Join me in welcoming our newest cohort of Youth Voices. You can meet them all here.

Ale

Role: Storytelling Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: she/they
Location: Ohio

Ale is a mestizo singer-songwriter and a fervent activist, using her voice to resonate the stories of those left unheard. As a QTBIPOC teen, their identities live at many crossroads as each one adds perspective and empathy to her music. She writes for the people like them: those who waited for validation that never came. As a national octafinalist in speech and debate, Ale has learned the impact of words and how to wield them for those who can’t. In their free time, Ale loves to go to the gym with her sister, play gigs at local restaurants, and write (whether it be songs or novels). Through Youth Voices, they’ve found a means to make their breathing room a little bigger and the right to exist a little louder. Ale has only ever wanted to comfort, support, and light the way forward—for her people, and for those still searching for their own voice.

Andrew

Role: imi Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: he/him
Location: California

Andrew is a proud Angeleno, actor, activist, and change maker. Growing up as a queer Mexican American with both Jewish and Catholic roots, first hand he can tell you society doesn’t tend to swallow complexity with ease. His mission as a Youth Voice, as coined by queer icon Gottmik, is to “crash the cis-tem,” and normalize the beauty of living as a complex, queer, unorthodox individual. Living as a proud member of so many marginalized groups, projecting the voices of those who live in communities surrounded by unsafe atmospheres stands as one of his biggest objective morals. Andrew is the current Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Student Board Member for the ‘25 – ‘26 school year, representing 1.7 Million students across the greater Los Angeles area, former Student Board member on the Culver City Unified School District Board of Education, and high school Class President. Outside the boardroom, you can likely find him listening to a Billie Eilish song with his wired headphones, acting in front of the camera or on a stage, drinking an iced latte, or at a concert!

Angelo

Role: Storytelling Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: He/They
Location: Appalachia, Kentucky

Angelo works in creative fields like visual and digital art, game design, writing, video, and theatre to signal to others that they are not alone. Growing up as a “sheltered kid” in Southeastern Kentucky, they didn’t know what an LGBTQIA+ person was until finding the definition online. The realization that they were bisexual, and that people would hate them for that alone, took them aback. Coming out as genderfluid made them realize that we are all humans just trying to survive, and they want to be a safe space for others while helping people find safe spaces for themselves. Inspired by the love and encouragement of their mother, Angelo has pursued passions in media creation and acting, attended Girls Who Code’s Summer Immersion Program, built community on TikTok, and connected with queer peers at the Appalachian Youth Leadership Summit, experiences that remind them that despite our differences, we are all the same. Through Youth Voices, they aim to expand representation for small-town residents who can’t attend large Pride gatherings or be openly out without risking harm, working as both an ally and a figurehead to engage, educate, and remind others that none of us are truly alone.

Bekah

Role: Nonprofit Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: he/him
Location: California

Bekah is an artist and community leader from the Bay Area. He enjoys blowing glass, performing theater and hanging out with his two cats; Dr Evil and Inspector Gadget. Bekah wanted to join Youth Voices after witnessing the way both people in power, the media and those around him treated the transgender community. Through Youth Voices, he hopes to deepen his understanding of advocacy and nonprofit work, while helping to uplift and amplify the stories of LGBTQ+ teens. Bekah hopes that his work will invoke empathy in others and inspire them to take further action in support of the queer community.

Jay

Role: Nonprofit Ambassador
Age: 15
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: California

Jay is a transgender Indian-American activist from the Bay Area, California who blends his passion for STEM with a deep commitment to queer and trans advocacy. He has been a member of the GLSEN National Student Council, and involved in online advocacy work through the Human Rights Campaign and Amnesty International. Jay is a competitive Spartan racer, placing 4th at the 2024 OCR World Championships, and is passionate about advocacy for trans athletes. He helps lead Los Altos Hacks, the world’s largest high school hackathon, and leads curriculum for CENG, a student-run nonprofit offering free coding education that has served over 6,000 students. He is also co-captain of his high school’s Science Olympiad program and has scaled it to over 100 members, launched three middle school teams, and run a free educational summer program for middle schoolers. Jay is thrilled to be a part of this year’s Youth Voices program and looks forward to using his platform to uplift trans youth, fight for equality in STEM, and spark meaningful conversations that create lasting change.

Marshall

Role: Español Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Texas

Marshall is an Indigenous transman and Two-Spirit youth from Texas. He is passionate about illustration, video games, and civic engagement. His advocacy journey has taken him from local neighborhoods to the Texas Legislature, where he has spoken out against harmful policies targeting LGBTQ+ and marginalized students. He has worked at the local, city, state, and national levels to amplify youth voices and fight for equity. Now more than ever, he believes it is critical that queer and gender-expansive people not only advocate for themselves but are given platforms to be heard. Marshall joined Youth Voices to elevate his advocacy, share his story, and inspire others like him to lead, dream, and take action. He is here to lead and learn, and to meet other passionate queer people.

Nashan

Role: Español Ambassador
Age: 16
Pronouns: She/Her
Location: Puerto Rico

Nashan is a Puerto Rican YouTuber and digital activist using her voice to inspire, educate, and spark real change. When she was just 12 years old, she appeared in a regional anti-bullying video in Massachusetts—and hasn’t stopped speaking up since. Through powerful storytelling, social commentary, and creative content, Nashan creates spaces for visibility, healing, and hope. Nashan is also an active member of several student organizations, including DECA, 4-H, the Peer Counselors Club, and her school’s Cooperative Group, where she develops leadership skills and community engagement. She has been invited to represent her community at the 4-H State Congress in Georgia and the National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C., and was nominated for the prestigious Global Youth Awards in London under the “ChangeMaker” category. She joined It Gets Better’s Youth Voices with the hope of amplifying the stories of young people who have been marginalized. Passionate about justice, Nashan dreams of becoming a content creator who reaches millions, an activist, an entrepreneur, and an explorer of Latin America. But above all, her biggest dream is to build a foundation for those who, like her, have been marginalized—and remind them they belong, their voice matters, and they are not alone.

Renc

Role: Changemakers Ambassador
Age: 16
Location: Texas

Renc (pronounced Ren-see) is a theatre kid and aspiring biology major who aims to promote intersectionality in their community. From her lengthy experiences of navigating her identity as queer and a first-gen immigrant, she hopes to assure others that it’s possible to be both and more. Renc dances in their school’s South Asian dance club, wrestles on the wrestling team, and competes in HOSA, a testing program for future health professionals. They’ve also undertaken research at UT Austin, studying plant genetics in an interactive lab. Still, her story’s still being written: various dilemmas lay unanswered. Medicine or botany? Tradition or adventure? One thing is certain—Renc hopes to bolster diversity as she progresses through the field of academia, ensuring that higher education welcomes people of all identities. In joining Youth Voices, Renc is looking forward to building bridges over generations, customs, standards, and conditions, between younger and older generations, and facilitate helpful, collaborative discussions.