Wow, Thank you! Wow, okay.
I'm really happy that there are words there, that makes my job a lot easier [laughs]
Um first of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy ally week obviously
And then beyond that, first and foremost I would like to thank GLSEN for the award
I have no-actually I do-but I have no words to describe how honored I am and how much this award means to me
And additionally I would like to thank the individuals at GLSEN. Without their endless and selfless work
I promise you, we would be living in a completely different world
I would also like to thank my family and friends for loving me unconditionally
and supporting me...and supporting me no matter how crazy my endeveors or I sometimes seem
Finally I would like to give thanks to the teachers who have been more than just educators but role models
Thank you so much for always giving me guidance whether I want to hear it or not
and most importantly, for helping me find my voice. It's really weird standing up here, being a student advocate
of the year when only a couple of years ago I couldn't even advocate for myself
I was timid, I was confused, and without any visible LGBT peers I was lost
even though I knew I was inherently different, I fought endlessly to fit into school
and to give some context, I go to like this very small all boys school in new york city so you can imagine...very gossip girl
I did what most normal people do, I tried really hard to fit in, compromising my own identity for a false sense of comfort
and to be honest, now that I think about it, it kind of sucked.
School very quickly became merely an obligation. I tried to spend the least amount of time I could there
I would go to school right before class started and I would dash out right after my last class
and I tried my hardest not to make any friends at school, isolating myself in the fear that my secret would be compromised and the whole school would discover that I was gay
Whew! Thank god that didn't happen! Just kidding
Resulting in an inevitable feeling of pain and social exile
I would go home every day and beg to my mother everyday...who is over there by the way. Hi Mom!
I would go home every day and beg to my mom to move me to another school
and every request was met with the same resounding no. And I don't know whether or not she just like didn't want to do it but Mom
You may have broken every single rule in every parenting book ever written
But thank you so much for having faith in me and pushing me to discover my inner strength. I love you so much
So I'm guessing everyone is wondering where I'm going with this right now...I'm a little lost too [laughs]
In sophomore year, in hopes of diversifying my artistic talents I began taking art classes at my local museum
and there, for the first time, I felt a true sense of community.
I met people who not only respected but also celebrated my uniqueness--and trust me, that's kind of hard [laughs]
People who love me for the quirks I was teased at school for
An Educator at the museum saw something in me and invested in me, bringing me back season after season
giving me a sense of worth that I lacked for so long
I had never felt so good about myself. Which led me to the question: why couldn't my school be like this too?
The truth I quickly realized was school could be like this.
And with the help and support of school administrators and peers, the collegate school Gay Straight Alliance was born again.
Dedicated to building a community that was inclusive and comfortable for all.
With the help of GLSEN materials, two years ago exactly, we launched our first Ally Week campaign
We were met with overwhelming support, with nearly the entire student body participating
Today, the Gay Straight Alliance is the largest club at my school
Nearly every single office and classroom is a designated safe space and allies are visible
And I think that's pretty awesome, I don't know about you guys...[laughs]
But I'm not done yet
I have been working with stripes, a new york city wide student led gay straight alliance to help show others that change is possible
and it's really not that hard
We are a think tank and we are a family, dedicated to individuals that initial push
The tools and the support to make their schools a safer and more inclusive space for all
This year, in it's second year, stripes (my baby)
is now composed of more than 30 different schools
with our expansion and possibilities looking endless
A 13 year old me could never imagine seeing myself standing here today
And I see myself over there, so I guess I have to believe it [laughs]
I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my friends and those who believed that I had the power to create change
I am no longer a victim. Today I am an advocate and I am a leader
So I challenge all of you to think about the things that once seemed unimaginable
things that you wanted to do but pushed to the side because you thought they were impossible
and remember, with the right tools, the support of others, and help from organizations like GLSEN, nothing is impossible
Change is right around the corner. Thank you so much guys