The Future Perfect Project

 I’ve been fortunate as co-founder of The Trevor Project to be on the front lines of change as several generations of young people have come of age. But in 2017, I noticed a change in the LGBTQIA+ youth themselves. They were building a network of connections, finding one another online (as well as in person), offering one another encouragement, and redefining what it means to be queer. And so, I teamed up with singer-songwriter, Ryan Amador, traveling the country, and providing LGBTQIA+ Youth with a safe space to engage in creative writing and performance. When possible, we facilitated a live performance for a larger community audience in an effort to help queer, trans and allied youth become more safe, seen and celebrated.

We soon added producers/facilitators, Julie Novak, Emma Seslowsky and Jon Wan and together we activated a close network of queer artists, writers, mentors and co-facilitators. During the pandemic we continued to offer online opportunities for youth to create art, and we began to produce and broadcast their work to a larger audience. In this way, our community has continued to grow and we are empowering the young people to speak their truth and sing their songs of tomorrow. . While lawmakers are busy passing laws and proposing measures to limit the self expression of LGBTQIA+ youth in their schools and communities, FPP has handed the mic over to the next generation. So we can hear from them directly..

It seems the world is never quite ready to know what a younger generation sees or feels, but change happens when young

people begin to age-up and make the future happen. The Future Perfect Project is amplifying the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth and broadcasting a future in which every person gets to be perfectly and fully themselves.