media + publications
PUBLICATIONS
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The Courage To Be Truly Free
"The Courage to Be Truly Free" is a story by The ChangeMakers Youth Leaders and is dedicated to overcoming legislation like the Florida parental rights in education act (the 'Don't Say Gay' bill) which aims to silence youth in search of their identities. The story follows a young zebra named CoCo on a journey of self discovery. Along the way, CoCo meets a variety of animal friends who help them be brave by teaching about self-reliance and community. Empowering the voices of the youth who’ve been impacted by harmful legislation like HB 1557, the book carries a message of hope and resilience. Each page is filled with colorful illustrations and relatable characters, generously donated by Beuren Studio, that young readers can easily identify with.
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"Queer Youth Are Eternal"
ChangeMakers 2022 Zine
The ChangeMakers 2022 Youth Leaders created a zine to share their musings and creative expressions about the past year, documenting the innate power of queer youth. Read through the spreads curated by our ChangeMakers to witness their joy and resistance!
MEDIA
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SPLC Learning for Justice: ChangeMakers for an Inclusive and Just Future
ChangeMakers Leadership Insitute gives LGBTQ+ young people the skills and opportunities to become community activists and leaders in the movement for justice and equity.
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Scalawag: Notes on ‘In Their Own Words,’ a series on the youth mental health crisis
Clinical Manager Amber Manker and Alliance Fellow Sabrina Diaz discuss the challenges LGBTQ+ youth face in Miami Dade County and how the Alliance ChangeMakers Leadership Institute releases the innate power of Queer youth.
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Miami New Times: LGBTQ Youth Build Mini-Libraries to Buck Academic Censorship | July 19th, 2023
ChangeMakers Youth Leaders launch the first Little Library of their campaign combating Queer, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QBIPOC) censorship.
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Sun Sentinel: New law doesn’t protect kids, it targets LGBTQ youth like us | April 6th, 2022
ChangeMakers Youth Leaders Fabiana Montenegro and Crow Hartman's Sun Sentinel op-ed publication in which they share their perspectives on the 'Don't Say Gay' bill as queer youth and activists in Miami-Dade County. -
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i-D Vice: 10 Florida activists fighting for a brighter, queerer future | May 11, 2022
ChangeMakers Youth Leader Nadya Lopez is featured on a list of 10 Florida activists on i-D magazine and shares her work as a leader in trans and queer rights advocacy. -
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NBC News: Black, Latino queer students say they are on edge in the wake of 'Don't Say Gay' bill | March 15th, 2022
ChangeMakers Youth Leader Zen Nelson is interviewed by NBC News on their experiences as a queer Afro-Latinx youth in Florida and their concerns regarding the 'Don't Say Gay' bill. -
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Miami Herald: Miami Students Protest 'Don't Say Gay' bill at Capitol | March 8, 2022
Pauline Green, Executive Director at The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, is featured in a Miami Herald article discussing the impact of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill on queer youth advocacy and mental health. -
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WSVN 7 News: Demonstrators against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill protest outside Florida Senate ahead of vote | March 7th, 2022
ChangeMakers Youth Leader Zen Nelson is quoted in a 7 News Miami article while speaking out against the 'Don't Say Gay' bill at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. -
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NBC 6 South Florida: Students Rally in Miami Ahead of ‘Don't Say Gay' Bill Vote | March 6th, 2022
The Alliance's Youth Fellow Laura Rosado and Youth Leader Zen Nelson appear in video interviews with NBC 6 South Florida, uplifting the queer youth power traveling to the Florida Capitol prior to the passing of the 'Don't Say Gay' bill. -
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10 News: Local students begin traveling to Tallahassee for protest against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill | March 6th, 2022
The Alliance team members and youth leader, Zen Nelson, appear alongside Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava before heading out to Tallahassee on Local 10 News. -
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WSVN 7 News: South Florida students opposed to ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill travel to Tallahassee ahead of Senate vote | March 6th, 2022
Video footage from capturing The Alliance team at the 'Don't Say Rally' in front of the Torch of Friendship in Downtown Miami. -
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NBC 6 South Florida: Dozens Rally in Miami Beach Against ‘Don't Say Gay' Bill | March 14th, 2022
Alliance team members appear in the crowd and on stage at the Miami Beach 'Say Gay Anyway' Rally covered by NBC 6 South Florida on March 13th, 2022. -
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Spectrum News 1 (Southern California): 'Don't Say Gay" Bill Fallout | March 10, 2022
Pauline Green, Executive Director of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, speaks to Spectrum News anchor Melvin Robert about the 'Don't Say Gay' bill as it moves through the Florida legislature and the bill's potential impact on the well-being and mental health of LGBTQ students. -
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Miami New Times coverage of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth’s grant award from Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.
PODCASTS
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Thoughts from the 305 Podcast: The Courage To Be Truly Free| February 28, 2023
Alliance staff members and host Andy La Negra have a conversation regarding the barriers preventing our youth from living truly free while discussing the release of the book “The Courage To Be Truly Free”.
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Help Existing Podcast: Caring For Yourself & Others When The System Is Broken | June 28, 2022
Mich P. Gonzalez, Board Secretary of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, joins host Rachel Krantz to explore the questions of how to keep going when you aren't sure it will all "work out in the end", how to maintain your mental health and sense of joy as an activist and empath when you're privy to so much suffering - and what does abolitionism have to do with all of this? -
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Power Station Podcast: 'Don't Say Gay' Passes in Florida Senate | March 8, 2022
Pauline Green, Executive Director of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, speaks with Power Station on the morning of March 8, moments after the Florida State Senate passed HR 1557, dubbed the Don't Say Gay bill, into law. Pauline breaks down the legislation and its potential impacts on students, teachers, and school districts. -
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Equity in Action Podcast, Episode 4 with Nereyda Luna | June 22, 2021
Nereyda Luna, 2021 Youth Fellow at The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, speaks with the Equity in Action Podcast on their activism, scholarly work, and art address the inequities and discrimination the LGBTQ+ community faces, as well as the beauty that comes with being. Listen as Change Specialist Chyenne Mallinson talks with Nereyda about transgender and gender nonconforming identities, their lived experience, and equitable futures for the LGBTQ+ community. -
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Thoughts from the 305 Podcast: Working within the community and youth struggles | May 17, 2021
Amber Manker, Clinical Manager of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, is featured on the Thoughts from the 305 podcast with Andy La Negra. Listen as Amber discusses youth challenges and access to mental health resources. -
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Thoughts From The 305 Podcast: Community Organizing in Miami-Dade County - The Youth Voice | April 26, 2021
Pauline Green, Executive Director of The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, speaks with fellow community organizers about the critical role that young people play in organizing and the importance of authentic youth voice in movement building.
