It 's almost comedic that of all the places I, a gender-fluid queer feminist, could be born It turned out to be the rural town of Norwalk, Ohio. With literal cornfields surrounding my house and more churches than pizza places, Norwalk is about as conservative as you can get. With an Ethiopian father, Italian mother, biracial adopted sister, Latino foster brother, and LGBT family members it was obvious to me from a young age that differences originating from race, religion, sexuality, or gender should be celebrated and not squandered. As I entered middle school and eventually high school I came to the realization that my family 's compassion for minorities was not a popular mindset. With feminist principles by my side and Joan Jett in my heart, I spoke out against the bigoted behavior that I saw from my peers and even staff alike. When a …show more content…
When a teacher made transphobic comments during class I had an immediate meeting with my principal regarding how those comments would harm trans students and though I am a respected student my concerns were dismissed. It was clear the topic was not up for discussion. I hosted a meeting at my home inviting students to write our state and local representatives as well as have discussions about bigotry in our town. In January, I marched with my family and close friend in the 2017 Women 's March in Cleveland, Ohio and I call my senators so often that they are higher on the recent area of my contact list than my own mother. I also attended a vigil and march in front of my town 's courthouse to bring awareness to the seriousness of domestic violence. My family and I drove to Ann Arbor to experience and support the 2017 March for Science in April. Using my art and writing as an outlet, I express myself and my beliefs hoping that others who are the same will feel less alone. I 'm excited for my future college life and want to educate myself and learn more about the world outside of Norwalk to the best of my