Wyoming’s LGBTQ

Future: Our Youth

Ray is the coordinator of the Wyoming Equality Safe & Healthy Schools Program.

By Ray Kasckow

The adage is that “the young people are our future.” With young people like Wyoming’s, we have a future to celebrate.

When I became the Wyoming Equality Safe and Healthy Schools Coordinator, the first school I visited was because students weren’t binding correctly, resulting in broken ribs and major breathing problems. They were using ace bandages and keeping them on for long periods of time. Their gender dysphoria was bad, and they didn’t have access to the right resources.

The plan was for me to walk the students through a small training to ensure student safety. I worked with teachers and administration to ensure the training adhered to all policy. I was so nervous at first; it had been a couple of years since I interacted with high school students, and I couldn’t help but be a little intimidated. But the instant I walked through the door, I was met with the silliest, funniest, most creative, confident, and wonderful teens. As I went through the training, I couldn’t help but be amazed that even these teens, who were struggling with their gender dysphoria and the physical pain they were in, could still laugh. And it was at that moment that I realized:

Wyoming queer teens are my heroes.

Even though they are constantly barraged with hate, surrounded by laws that aim to take away their rights, and often have to create their own spaces, they cannot and will not be stopped. They use the space they create to its full potential by exploring pronouns, identities, and expressions.

When we had a Civic Engagement event for teens, where they learned how to talk to lawmakers and fight for their rights, I didn’t see fear; I saw determination. They were determined to learn, advocate for themselves, and not stand down. Even those who seemed out of their element initially looked ready to take on the world by the end of the event.

Safe and healthy binding equipment gift bags provided by WE.

Young advocates at the Capitol with WE and UW staff.

It’s heartbreaking, though, to see students have to fight for their rights every day. I wish when I went to school clubs, we could just joke around all day, learn chants such as “When I say gay, you say frog! Gay! Frog!” or talk about their artwork that has deep deep gay (of course) lore associated with it. I wish they could just get to be kids.

But that’s not what they want; they want to learn how to defend themselves, fight for their community, and learn how they can change the world. They are what it means to be a true Wyomingite. It’s going to their voices that lead us, their actions will change the state because there’s one thing I’ve learned:

There’s nothing more terrifying, powerful, and awe-inspiring than a group of chaotic queer teens.