youth activist

A 26-year-old gay youth activist who worked with HIV/AIDS charities in New York and graduated from the Harvey Milk High School committed suicide over the weekend. Rod 2.0 spoke with friends and colleagues of gay youth activist and HIV peer educator Joseph Jefferson. "Joseph was truly a sweetheart," a friend who asked to remain nameless said. "Extremely bright and impassioned about social justice causes... It's such a loss."

As a site that features entertainment and news geared toward the lesbian community at large we are committed to highlighting artists, musicians and craftspeople in the community. This week we would like to introduce you to Rachelle Lee Smith, an award winning, nationally, and internationally shown and published photographer.

An estimated 40% of homeless Americans identify as either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To me, that’s not just a statistic, it’s personal: I was a homeless LGBT youth.

Equality Forum is a national and international GLBT civil rights organization that focuses on education. The organization launched History Month in 2006 to teach GLBT heritage, provide role models, build community, and celebrate the community’s contributions. The icons include Cythia Nixon, Jane Lynch, Catherine Opie, Annise Parker and more...

Rev. Irene Monroe calls on friends, family and community leaders to end the bullying epidemic that takes the lives of too many LGBTQ youth.

This May 11th sadly marked the 10th anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn of Newark, N.J. Her murder is mired, at best, by myths and, at worst, by malicious intent.

The National Equality March in Washington DC brought 200,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight people to the streets to march for full equality in all matters of civil law. The speakers at the rally included Lady GaGa, Cynthia Nixon, Michelle Clunie, Billie Myers, Julian Bond, Dustin Lance Black, Cleve Jones, Judith Light, the Broadway cast of Hair, Stacy-Ann Chin, and other celebrities, politicians and activists alike. 

The adorable singing activist couple Bria and Chrissy, behind the contemporary internet classics including the “Dear Chick-fil-A” “Legitimate Rape” songs, recently attended Atlanta pride and gathered inspiring messages for LGBT youth from queer folks and their straight allies.

Almost half of homeless youth in America are LGBT. Though some of those youth are able to rise above, too many stay quiet about their past, say two advocates for the cause.

LGBT activists and allies are upset about the iPhone app just released by “ex-gay” group Exodus International. The app, according to Exodus’s website, is “designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders,” and has received a 4+ rating from iPhone maker Apple, meaning it carries “no objectionable content.” However, Truth Wins Out, which has started a petition against the app at Change.org, points out that Exodus endorses “reparative therapy” to change a person’s sexual orientation — something that has been discredited by all major medical organizations and is “very damaging to the self-esteem and mental health of its victims.”

Pauley Perrette's short is a sweet alternative prom story.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invited prominent gay activists including Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black to its Christmas concert in Salt Lake City over the weekend. lack, software entrepreneur Bruce Bastian, and a handful of Utah gay activists were among the VIP guests at the Saturday concert in Salt Lake City.