Hey John,

We’re excited to share our picks for the 2025 It Gets Better Joy Rebel of the Year. This year, there are two: recording artist, actress, and New York Times-bestselling author Hayley Kiyoko, and YouTube star turned musician Noahfinnce.

Each year, this honor goes to an entertainer who uses joy as a form of defiance and activism — someone whose work makes it easier for LGBTQ+ youth to exist as our full selves.

For many of us, discovering Hayley Kiyoko “feels like finally seeing yourself reflected in full color. Songs like ‘Girls Like Girls’ put queer love at the center instead of hiding it in metaphors, and her bestselling young adult novels Girls Like Girls and Where There’s Room for Us give queer teens the chance to see ourselves as the main characters, not side notes.”

Noahfinnce “tells the truth without dressing it up. For those of us growing up trans, neurodivergent, or unsure about our identities, his music and videos feel like a place to breathe. He talks honestly about transition, dysphoria, ADHD, autism, and mental health, then layers it with humor and punk energy that reminds us our futures can be joyful, messy, and fully ours.”

Youth Voices is a leadership cohort of LGBTQ+ high school students who partner with It Gets Better to share our stories, learn to better advocate for ourselves and our peers, and support other queer youth around the globe. This award matters because it’s chosen by the young people who are directly impacted by this work. The same youth who are living the realities these artists sing and write about.

Please consider making a donation to It Gets Better today so programs like Youth Voices can continue. So we can keep creating spaces for queer voices to thrive, learn to lead, and define what queer joy looks like on their own terms.

- The It Gets Better Youth Voices

It Gets Better is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

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