Meet Our Scholars

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Caeden became the target of intense bullying in elementary school, eventually leading his family to move to Rhode Island where he'd attend high school in a very small community. At the age of seventeen, Caeden came out as queer to his family and friends, sparking new challenges with his peers, many of who came from a deeply religious environment and viewed LGBTQ people as needing to be saved. In 1997, Caeden moved to Washington, DC to attend American University. During his time at AU, he helped to establish a LGBTQ student resource center. He also helped pave the way for the inclusion of gender identity and expression in the university-wide non-discrimination policy. Since graduating from AU, Caeden has worked with several nonprofits focusing on LGBTQ civil rights, youth organizing and advocacy and reproductive justice. These organizations include the United States Student Association, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. Caeden attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. In his nonprofit work, as well as his life as a transgender person, Caeden has seen and experienced the reality that inadequate and inaccessible healthcare has on queer people, young people, and poor people. He hopes to focus his work on improving care for underserved and underrepresented populations.