Your support can make our voices a little louder.

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Hi John,

Hey! My name is Andrew. I'm 16 years old, Mexican-American, a Billie Eilish-superfan, a theatre major at a performing arts high school, and a Youth Voices ambassador at It Gets Better. As a student activist deeply rooted in youth governance and advocacy, I pride myself on speaking up for the kids in the back of the room.

Ever since I could remember, there’s been a queer little boy deep in my soul. I vividly recall encounters throughout my life of people who tried to tell me who I was before I even had the language to define myself. At 5 years old, in kindergarten, a parent asked me, “Aww, sweetie, are you a rainbow like the carpet?” referring to the rainbow Lakeshore rug under our feet. I was puzzled, unable to comprehend what she meant.

Or other instances, when someone approached me, pulled me to the side, and pleaded, “Can I ask you a question?” I'm positive any queer kid can tell you how that scenario was going to end. At a very young age, I realized that I was different from the other kids on the playground.

Youth Voices ambassador Andrew

That’s why being part of Youth Voices isn’t just something I wanted to do; it’s something I felt I needed to do. I never saw myself growing up, and I know how painful that invisibility and lack of representation can be. As a Mexican American with both Jewish and Catholic roots, I come from a complex intersection of culture, tradition, and queerness. But none of those spaces ever made room for someone like me.

Queerness was something you whispered about, something you 'survived', not something you celebrated. Despite having an incredibly loving, supportive family for the most part, there's always a whisper in the back of my mind telling me I'm not good enough and that I shouldn't even be here. I spent years feeling like I had to hide pieces of myself just to be loved. Latino representation in queer media is still rare, and when it does exist, it often feels one-dimensional or built on stereotypes. I want to help shift that narrative. I want to be a part of a movement that honors the full, messy, beautiful experience of being queer and Latino.

The journey to find myself has fueled my passion to reassure queer youth that their existence holds more worth than they've been led to believe. Trust me, I know what the hopeless pit in your stomach feels like, searching desperately for yourself in a story or a screen and feeling hopeless when Google dares to say, “no results found.”

Youth Voices has given me a space to help change that — to use my own story, my grief, my pride, my growth, as a tool for connection and change. I want to help build something that tells queer youth, especially those from communities like mine, that they are powerful and worthy. If my voice can make even one person feel less alone, if I can be the mirror someone else never had, then I’ll know I’m doing what I was meant to do.

So far during my time in Youth Voices, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with other inspiring LGBTQ+ teens from across the country and learn how to use my story to drive change. I even had the opportunity to give a presentation with It Gets Better at my school for National Coming Out Day, where I could share my story with my peers! Youth Voices has provided me with the resources and platform I needed to flourish.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’d like to ask you to support young queer voices like mine. [[link removed]] Any amount you’re able to give helps fuel the future for tomorrow’s leaders.

Andrew (he/him)

Youth Voices ambassador

It Gets Better

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