LA Pride Awards Brunch - Saturday June 4, 2011

My family and I were invited to attend the Christoper Street West (CSW) LA Pride Awards brunch Saturday where I accepted the Outstanding Youth Award for the GSA Network. I've been an active member of the GSA for several years in middle schools and now high school so it was an honor to accept the award for the organization.



I got to meet most of the honorees and lots of other people (you can see some of them in the gallery). I was really lucky to meet Margaret Cho! I also got interviewed for the CSW archives and everyone took lots of pictures together.



Here is the acceptance speech I gave. It went over really well.

I’m happy to be able to accept this award for the GSA Network!

The GSA has made a difference in my life and in 3 of the schools I’ve attended.

In 7th grade I started the first GSA at Thomas Star King Middle School where I was the target of bullying and threats - this was during the fall of 2008 during the Proposition 8 campaign.

I came out to the whole school by reading my poem “Just be Yourself” on stage at the Poetry Slam and won first place.

Starting the GSA was a way to make the whole school safer for everyone

In 8th grade I moved to Bancroft Middle School - Performing Arts Magnet in Hollywood and founded a GSA there.

We marched in last year ‘s LA Pride Parade - the only GSA middle school to attend.

I’m now in 9th grade, my first year at the Downtown Magnets High School where the GSA was already going strong.

Downtown Magnets’ Principal Brandon Cohen and GSA President Monica De Haro are being honored this Tuesday at the 5th annual LGBT Youth Awards for their exceptional work.

This summer I’m attending my 2nd GSA activist camp at USC where we get to meet kids from all over the state.

At first I thought I was the only one who was gay.

Then I thought I was just part of a small group of young people.

But now I’m realizing that I’m part of a large community with an amazing history.

It’s been great to see all the support we’re getting from older people and to learn our history first hand from people who were there.

I hope that we can live up to the faith you’ve placed in us.

Thank you so much!