WEBVTT - Unshrinking Youth 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.960 Good morning, peepson. Welcome to WIKA app Daily with Meet 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:19.919 your Girl Danielle Moody. Prerecording from the Long Island Bunker. Folks, 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:26.520 I'm really excited to bring you a little interview that 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.200 I did, and I say little because it was roughly 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:34.879 ten minutes um that I did with a young queer 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:41.400 person who is part of the It Gets Better campaign's 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:48.080 youth summit that happened earlier in November. And you know, 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:53.600 for far too long, we have conversations right that are 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:59.520 talking about LGBTQ youth as opposed to actually speaking too 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:04.479 LBTQ youth. They have been used as political footballs. They 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:10.199 have been used for target practice by the far right. 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:12.000 And I don't even want to call them the far right, 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:15.360 it's just Republicans, right, Like, if you are at this 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.759 day and age, if you're still wearing the label proudly 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:22.960 a Republican, then you are a homophobe, a transphobe, a racist, 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:26.360 a misogynist, because that's what the Republican Party stands for. 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:30.080 When we look around the nation right now, at the 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:36.959 I mean, folks, the swath of anti LGBTQ legislation, all 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:41.640 of which in very big ways are directed at LGBTQ 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.200 youth or their families. You look at the legislation that 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:48.240 was rolled out in Texas, which was an anti transpiece 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:51.960 of legislation that was going to criminalize right parents for 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:58.600 providing life affirming healthcare for their children. You look at 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:01.160 the policies that are rolled out in Florida and the 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.560 way that Lauren Bobert said that they should be nationalized 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:06.840 so that we can go back to an error where 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.639 we can't even utter the word gay, that we can't 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:14.560 even say LGBTQ. There were horrific stories of teachers needing 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:18.600 to take down They're safe space stickers in their classrooms 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:22.120 that were rainbows that identify them as a safe haven 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.919 four young people inside of that school, right, And we've 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:30.760 seen those removed. So, you know, I think that it 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:35.800 is really important for us to be in conversation with 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:40.520 youth about how they are being affected by what is 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:44.840 happening to them. So in a series of interviews that 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:49.480 I will do over the course of this week, I 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:54.679 will chat with two young people, one who is seventeen 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:58.760 years old who is coming up next, Riss Robinson, who 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:04.639 is a senior in high school at and living in Alabama, 0:03:04.720 --> 0:03:07.840 and then another interview that I will have later in 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:12.600 the week with a fifteen year old non binary artist 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:17.040 and then the leader, the education coordinator for the It 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:22.320 Gets Better project to talk about why it Gets Better 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:27.280 and our and other organizations directed at youth are so 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:31.679 critical at this moment and this time, and I got 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:35.760 to tell you, you know, for those folks who don't 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:41.000 know my own personal coming out story, I came out 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:46.680 when initially when I was twelve, to my sister, and 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.120 I remember we were on a family vacation and we 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.600 were sitting on the rooftop of the hotel that we 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:58.000 were staying at, and I had been trying to work 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.040 up the courage to tell my sister at this time 0:04:01.120 --> 0:04:05.880 that I thought that I was bisexual. And my sister, 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.600 for folks who don't know, is five years older than me. 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:14.920 So if I'm twelve, right, she's roughly seventeen eighteen, you know, 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:18.640 getting ready to turn eighteen years old. And thankfully, the 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.960 first person that I ever told, my sister, met my 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:28.120 fear and anxiety with nothing but love and compassion. I 0:04:28.200 --> 0:04:30.359 remember coming out to her and I had tears in 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:32.960 my eyes and I said, I think that I'm bisexual. 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.160 I know definitely that I like girls, but I think 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.360 I also still like boys. And my sister looked at 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.680 me and she said, I have no idea why you're crying. 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.160 Half of my friends are by, and we had a 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:52.039 good laugh about that. That initial reaction to my truth 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:58.359 right would be the foundation for how over the course 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:01.760 of the next several years it wouldn't be for another 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:04.120 nine years that I would come out to my parents, 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:09.040 and this time say you know that I am a lesbian. 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.880 I would come out to friends, you know, new friends 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.920 and old friends, you know, in between that twelve year 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.359 old me and then you know, young adult me that 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:26.040 would finally come out to my parents. And you know, 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.200 even when I came out to my parents, who were 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:35.360 so beside themselves, and the only reason why they were 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:38.640 beside themselves was because of the world that we live in, 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:41.719 not because they didn't love me, not because I came 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.960 from a religious family that was going to throw me 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:47.760 out of the house or you know, throw the Bible 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:50.919 at me or any of those things, but because my mother, 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:53.719 and I've written about this and spoken about it so 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.760 many times, said you're already a woman, and you're already black. 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:02.240 What else do you want against you? Right? And you know, 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:08.039 in hindsight and even just you know, days later, I 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:11.599 recognize that my parents' reactions were ones that were coming 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:17.159 from fear. They just didn't want their daughter to experience 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:23.920 any more pain, any more sadness, loneliness, grief, depression because 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:29.240 of wanting to live an authentic and true life and 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.320 knowing that at that time this is society that we 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:37.159 were living in was not welcoming at all. So part 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:42.160 of me, as now a queer adult, when speaking with 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.719 these young people, part of me is just so in 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:50.400 awe of them, so in awe of their courage, their authenticity, 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:55.560 because again, you know, I wasn't out and queer in 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:59.039 elementary school or in high school. I think the average 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.520 age now young people coming out is around twelve and 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:09.640 thirteen years old. And I think about the uniformity, right, 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:14.400 just the assimilation that is expected of young people just 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.680 to fit in, and all the ways that we shrink 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.400 ourselves in order to fit into other people's ideas of 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.320 who we should be. So the fact that you can 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:28.760 be so young and so clear about who you are 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:31.679 and about how you want to show up in the world, 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:35.200 I think is so critical for us to understand that 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.560 when we listen to these politicians that are supposed to 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:42.640 be the adults in the room, that are telling young 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:46.600 people that are very clear about who they are, how 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:50.360 they want to identify what is inside of their heart, 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:54.880 and expressing to them that all they're looking for is 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:58.080 dignity and respect. All they're looking for is to be 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:02.360 able to live their lives openly and proudly without obstacle 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:07.920 or oppression. And how dare someone tell you that you 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.720 don't deserve that dignity or respect, that I'm not going 0:08:10.760 --> 0:08:13.360 to respect your pronouns, that I'm not going to respect 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:18.600 your sexual orientation, right, Like, think about how fucking crazy 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:24.800 it is when these idiot politicians and you know, Republican 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:29.080 leaders come out and say and make jokes about pronouns 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.319 and make jokes about who people are and how they 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.840 show up. Who the fuck are you that gets to 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.360 decide how other people should be able to exist. If 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.760 you can be free to be a fucking bigot, right, 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:45.520 then other people should be free to live inside of 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.720 their own fucking skins. Right. So I say that to 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:55.400 say that it was really enjoyable speaking with these young people, 0:08:56.000 --> 0:09:00.280 hearing their perspectives and understanding that I've spent and debticated 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.440 a large part of my career to fighting for justice 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:09.760 and equity for all people, but particularly BIPOP people, particularly black, 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:14.559 Indigenous people of color LGBTQ people, people who live at 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:19.280 the intersection of multiple identities. And to know that they 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:25.080 are still fighting, but fighting with a strength in their back, 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.880 with their heads held high, knowing definitively who they are 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:35.080 makes me so proud, makes me so proud, and makes 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:36.920 me feel like the work that I've done in my 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:40.480 life hasn't been in vain. So I really hope that 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:44.720 you all listen to these interviews and the conversations that 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:49.400 I've had, take these young people seriously and understand that 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.240 while they may be young, they know a lot more 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.400 than we give them credit for. So this is my 0:09:55.559 --> 0:10:01.040 first interview with Riis Robinson, who attended It Gets Better 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:09.280 Youth Summit earlier this month. Folks, I'm really excited to 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.720 introduce you to a few young people that I have 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:18.640 the opportunity to speak with on woke f First up 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:24.240 is Aris Robinson, who is a black, non binary and 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:29.080 queer activists. Their biggest passion is dedicating their life and 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:34.280 fighting for liberation and accessibility in all areas. This led 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:37.120 them to be the president of their high school Gender 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.440 Sexuality Alliance and the group of young people that I'm 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.600 going to be speaking to all participated in the youth 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.960 summit for the It Gets Better Project. Aris, thank you 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.719 so much for making the time to join woke F 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.480 So first I just want to ask you, what was 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:58.080 your experience at the summit, Like, how was that? I 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.640 had an amazing experience at the sum It was my 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:04.360 first time in Los Angeles and I'm from the deep 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:08.240 South Migomery, Alabama, so going to the West Coast was 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:12.000 something totally new for me and a really exciting experience. 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:14.760 I got to meet so many people, especially the whole 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:18.080 It's Better team. They were so nice and affirming and 0:11:18.280 --> 0:11:20.480 they made me feel welcome and any like room I 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.959 was in m I. It was very the whole space 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:28.040 was very sensory friendly, and as a neurodivergent person, that 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:30.600 made me feel even more welcome that I could um 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:35.640 like fidget and um color and not have to have 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:41.120 like my have to have my full attention on one thing, 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:44.880 but I could like relax and be my full self 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:48.520 in the space. I got to do my very first 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.040 in person interview and a photo shoot, and I got 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:53.400 to meet all of the other youth voices and they 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.959 were really I loved my new friends and they're really 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:01.480 great people to work with. A main saying, so tell 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:05.360 me what what are some of the things that you 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:09.440 discussed that you all were discussing at the youth Summit 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:13.280 and what was it like to be for the first 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:19.240 time I'm assuming surrounded by like minded young people who 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:23.680 were identify as queer or as allies. One of the 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:25.840 one of my favorite topics that we talked about was 0:12:25.920 --> 0:12:28.880 queer Sex Said. It Says Better has a new Queer 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:31.160 Sex Said series and we got to watch it together 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.960 as a group and make this toolbox of different terms 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:38.080 and different things that industry could improve on. And I 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.760 really love being a part of that conversation because reproductive 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:45.000 justice is one of my biggest passions to activate for 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:49.040 advocate for. So being able to get my input on 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:53.040 consent and contraceptives and hearing other people's perspectives, especially from 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:57.160 different size of the world and like different opinions, it 0:12:57.240 --> 0:13:00.360 really kind of opened my eyes to different perspect is 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:03.000 and being able to all come together and make this 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:06.960 one big toolbox that somebody could be used, may or 0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.760 may not. But it was really exciting to be surrounded 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:11.679 by all these different people and talk about something that 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:16.080 I really like talking about. What do you think that 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:21.880 older people get wrong when they think about queer youth 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.679 and they're talking about queer youth. I think that in 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:30.040 a lot of ways, young queer people are being used 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:32.720 as the term that we use as a political football, 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.520 not being seen as real people, and just being seen 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:41.080 as statistics. So what do you think that older people 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:46.360 are getting wrong? I think older people, especially people who 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:50.200 are not in the not working constantly with lgbtqs, I 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.360 think they could humanize us a little bit. I think 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.120 they just kind of think we're just there and then 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.679 we see then we see us in articles about advocacy. 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:01.840 They don't see us as human they just see it's like, oh, 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:05.000 they're they're mad about this, they're mad about that, they're 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:08.800 mad about this, and said, but we're actually students, we 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.960 are athletes, we're friends, we're peers, and we're so much 0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:16.000 more than just an activist. And I think when you 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.920 think when you think about Elsbe's youth as more than 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:25.880 a political pond, then I think, um, older, older adults 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:29.480 would realize that they have we have needs just like 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.600 everyone else, and we're not trying to be mad at 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:36.000 every little issue. It's just this world is not made 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.600 for us. And I think that once they realize, hey, 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:43.440 these people are struggling, then I think we can probably 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:45.560 move forward in some of the issues that we're still 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:50.520 fighting today. You know, you mentioned that you are live 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:54.760 in the Deep South. You are living in Alabama, and 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.560 oftentimes when we when we talk about the South, we 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:04.320 kind of blanket it with one image, one idea of 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:08.280 what is going on there, and so tell us a 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:13.160 bit about what it's like to be young, black and 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:20.200 queer in Alabama. Being in Alabama was not my choice. 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:24.120 I moved here. Um, I think seven years ago. M 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:27.040 I came into fifth I came here in fifth grade, 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.560 and now I'm in twelfth, twelfth grade. And I think 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:34.760 I've I'm more used, I'm more used to I'm more 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:38.200 a city person. Sorry, I'm a city person. So being 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:43.400 in such a slower lifestyle isn't isn't my personal thing. 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:48.120 I think that I'm not constantly getting harassed for my 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:50.680 race or my sexuality. I think that's one of the 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:53.920 bigger misconceptions that um, there are just people like shouting 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:58.720 at me or this insulting me wherever I go, and 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:03.040 that's not the truth. I've found such a beautiful queer 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:07.360 community here in Alabama, whether it be my school GSA 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:10.320 that I personally run and I make a space for 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:12.560 the queer youth to feel safe, or it be up 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.520 in Birmingham with the Magic City Acceptance Center that I 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.080 go to at least a couple a couple of days 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:21.240 a month to spend time with other queer youths. So 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.600 I think that another miscresception is that we don't have 0:16:24.640 --> 0:16:27.320 these spaces, and I think it's important to know that 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:30.960 we do, and that for other queer people in Alabama 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:33.920 to know that these spaces exist so they can reach 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:38.000 out and try to get some help and find these 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:42.160 spaces that I have that also they can use. What 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:47.720 advice do you have or for other young people who 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:53.000 live in red states or who have not sought out 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:57.520 different centers or places that they can go to find 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:02.040 safe haven to find in community, what advice do you 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:06.520 have for them? I think my biggest advice would be 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:09.879 to reach out to online resources if that's available to 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:13.440 them I think most people try to find in person spaces, 0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:17.639 but there are a lot of chat chat spaces, phone lines, 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:23.680 zoom communities that they all get together monthly weekly that 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:25.840 they can reach out to and have some some sort 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:28.720 of community, whether it be even though it's not in person, 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:32.479 it's still there for them. And I've found my um 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:37.960 Christian queer youth community online and it's it's queer and 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:41.119 there's all these different perspectives and they support me. And 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.440 even though it's not a place where I can go 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:45.480 in and sit down, it's still a place where I 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:49.680 feel accepted. And I think other queer youth can go 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:53.240 online and try to like research and find these spaces 0:17:53.800 --> 0:18:00.560 to like to participate in. And one of the things 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:02.760 that I was reading in your bio and you just 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:07.639 mentioned is that you are you do do Christian advocacy 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:13.000 as a queer person. Can you also explain that and 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.080 talk about the work that you do in this space, 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:19.040 in the religious space as well as in the queer space, 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:22.200 and how they intersect. I think a lot of people 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:26.800 try to separate queerness and Christianity or any type of 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:30.800 Abrahamic religion when it comes to all the BTQ people, 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:35.600 but I think that people kind of group it into evangelism, 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:41.920 and that's not that's not the whole of Christianity. I 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.879 personally believe in like a liberation theology where we can 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:49.520 where I connect stories from the Bible and kind of 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:53.600 interpret it as a social justice story. And I think 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.480 that's one of the things that's helped me to see 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:59.200 Christianity in a better life when in a time where 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:01.920 Christianity wasn't my favorite thing in the world and people 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:03.679 were telling me, oh, this is a thing, Oh you 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:05.760 can't do this, you can't do that. And I feel 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:09.040 like having my own relationship with a higher like a 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:12.080 higher power as one of the things that helped me personally. 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.480 And I don't think that queer people should shy away 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:19.160 from religion, but find out what works for them and 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:22.240 also know that they you don't have to believe in 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:26.000 what other people say. You should believe in and kind 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:30.000 of seek out your own truth in a way. If 0:19:30.040 --> 0:19:33.600 you had one message to give to people to help 0:19:33.600 --> 0:19:38.800 them better understand the state of queer youth right now, 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:42.680 what would it be. I think queer youth right now 0:19:42.720 --> 0:19:47.160 are still fighting. I don't think even though even though 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:50.080 we do, we are humans. We are still activists and 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:55.040 we're both and we have feelings and we have to 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:58.920 advocate just to exist in a space. But we also 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:01.239 have to get good. You have to keep up our 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:06.320 grades and socialize and apply for colleges like I'm doing 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.840 right now. So I think people should know that they 0:20:10.880 --> 0:20:14.960 should encourage us and be in solidariated with us and 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:17.560 check out our mental health because there are a lot 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:19.400 of things going on in the world right now that 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:24.840 are not that are horrific and traumatizing, and we need 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:28.480 that support system from everybody else who's insolidary and allying 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.560 with us. Ris, thank you so much for taking the 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.480 time to join Woke app. Thank you for the advocacy 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:38.560 that you're doing in your own life, in your school 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:43.560 and creating space for young queer people. I really appreciate you. 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:47.760 Thank you so much for having me on your podcast. 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:56.359 That is it for me today, dear friends on woke app. 0:20:56.440 --> 0:21:00.840 As always, power to the people and to all of people. Power, 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:03.640 get woke and stay woke as fuck.