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Throughout my life, I have always tried to follow my curiosity. I was a Freshman in high school the first time I ventured into the field of scientific research. Accompanying a family friend for the day in his laboratory, I was introduced to his work studying the effects of fresh water algae blooms in Arizona. […]
On the evening of October 13, 2018, I gave a speech in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The room was packed with nearly hundreds of LGBTQ professionals, entertainers, writers, and dignitaries whose eyes and ears were transfixed on me. With clammy hands gripping the well-lit podium, I looked into […]
I have always been cognizant of the health disparities and difficulty in accessing care that is pervasive in the LGBTQ community. These barriers exist due to the increased rate of poverty, lack of insurance, and non-affirming healthcare for LGBTQ individuals, among others. My own lived experience as a queer man and the stories of other […]
Reminiscing on my high school and middle school career, I recognize how fortunate I was to have at least some exposure to a health-related curriculum, albeit one that emphasized an abstinence-only doctrine alongside marginal mention of male and female anatomy. In all honesty, this curriculum was neither thorough, extensive, nor receptive to feedback and questions […]
“Hola tío, que majo eres!” Since arriving in Madrid in January for my study abroad program, this was one of the first phases that left me confused when I began my time at the Colectivo LGBT+ de Madrid (COGAM: LGBT+ Collective of Madrid). I had to ask the volunteer who said it, “what does ‘majo’ […]
Habari! Greetings from Kenya! I am currently writing to you from a tent set near the foothills of Amboseli National Park, where I’ve had the pleasure of waking up to the howl of baboons and cackle of hyenas. And, it is within this unique setting that I felt the need to tell you about what […]
A radical organizer who I love and respect has a saying that goes something like “you can do direct service without organizing, but you can’t do organizing without direct service.” As an organizer who is gradually embracing the role of healthcare provider, I find myself reflecting on these words and how I can bridge the […]
In 2006 I was sitting in the waiting room of a monthly free trans health clinic in Portland. It was run by volunteer medical providers and was one of the only places in the city (and in much of the state) where trans youth were able to find understanding doctors to prescribe hormone therapy. […]
For my community service project this year, I chose to compile sexual health resources that were specifically made with LGBTQ youth in mind. It felt like something that would be relatively easy to complete in my free time between my course load, job, activism work, and other on-campus commitments, as well as something that would […]
This fall was my first semester back to school after taking a 6-month mental health break. I was excited to get back—taking a break definitely renewed my love of learning. While the semester wasn’t always easy, it was really great to see how much I had grown in the last year. This semester I learned […]