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    GLAAD’s First Annual 20 Under 20

    2020 20 Under 20-Illustrations by Carra Sykes

    20 Under 20 spotlights twenty young LGBTQ people, ages 20 and under, who are accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ people while shaping the future of media and activism. The inaugural 20 Under 20 list demonstrates the diversity of communities, identities, and causes that Generation Z activists embody. From advocating for racial justice, to climate action, to Title IX protections, the 20 Under 20 Honorees are carrying on the legacies of the advocates that came before them before them and are using media, entertainment, and digital platforms to share their vision and incite action.

    The 20 Under 20 list was launched via Teen Vogue, featuring individual portraits of each honoree by illustrator, Carra Sykes. Full profiles of the 20 Under 20 honorees can be found at TeenVogue.com. Below are this year’s inaugural class of honorees.

    Meet the 2020 20 Under 20 List Honorees

    Aaron Philip

    Aaron Philip, she/her, 19

    Model

    Aaron (she/her) is a model and artist who continues to break barriers after becoming the first Black, transgender, and disabled model to sign to a major modeling agency.

    Alex Escaja

    Alex Escaja, he/they, 20

    Advocate/Filmmaker

    Alex (he/they) is an award-winning filmmaker and advocate helping to bring awareness to LGBTQ issues in Vermont and across the country.

    Emma Gonzalez

    Emma González, she/her, 20

    Activist

    Emma (she/her) is one of the most notable gun control activists in the world, and helped to organize the historic #MarchForOurLives protest, which was the largest student demonstration in American history.

    Ezra Wheeler

    Ezra Greyson Wheeler, they/them, 20

    Student

    Ezra (they/them) is a trans and non-binary activist whose work centers on accessibility, disability rights, intersectional feminism, and increasing LGBTQ inclusion on college campuses.

    Ian Alexander

    Ian Alexander, he/him, 19

    Actor

    Ian (he/him) is part of the next generation of trans actors helping to pave the way for greater visibility of trans men on-screen after his breakthrough role on Netflix’s The OA.

    Jamie Margolin

    Jamie Margolin, she/her, 18

    Activist/Author

    Jamie (she/her) is the founder and Co-Executive Director of Zero Hour, an international youth climate justice movement mobilizing young people to take action against climate change.

    Eve May, she/her, 14, public speaker. Trans GenderCool Project Champion

    Jazz Jennings, she/her, 19

    Activist/ TV Personality/ Author

    Jazz (she/her) is known as one of the youngest people to become a national transgender figure, and has helped to change the way people around the world see and understand transgender youth through her activism and TLC series I Am Jazz. 

    Joshua Rush

    Joshua Rush, he/him, 18

    Actor/ Political Advocate

    Joshua (he/him) is an actor and political advocate who made history after playing the first openly gay character on the Disney Channel in Andi Mack.

    Josie Totah

    Josie Totah, she/her, 18

    Actress

    Josie (she/her) is a transgender actress who is one of Hollywood’s most-sought after talents, and will soon star in the highly anticipated reboot of Saved By The Bell.

    Kidd Kenn

    Kidd Kenn, he/him, 17

    Artist

    Kidd Kenn (he/him) is an openly gay rapper who signed a major record deal with Island Records in 2019 and has quickly become one of the top artists to watch out for in hip-hop.

    Lachlan Watson

    Lachlan Watson, they/them, 19

    Artist

    Lachlan (they/them) is one of the youngest non-binary actors in Hollywood, best known for their role on Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

    Leo Rocha

    Leo Rocha, he/him, 20

    Creative/Producer

    Leo (he/him) is a Creative Manager at VICE and Newscast Producer at KOMU 8 News, where he uses his journalism and other work to amplify LGBTQ voices and issues facing marginalized communities.

    Logan Rozos

    Logan Rozos, he/him, 19

    Actor

    Logan (he/him) is a rising trans actor who plays one of the very few trans men on television with his debut role in OWN’s David Makes Man.

    Map Pesqueira

    Map Pesqueira, he/they, 20

    Activist/Student

    Map (he/they) is known as the first out transgender person to be barred from entering the armed forces because of the Trump administration’s trans military ban, and has since used his platform to raise awareness about the state of LGBTQ equality in America.

    Ose Arheghan

    Ose Arheghan, they/them, 19

    Policy Organizer/ Student

    Ose (they/them) is a student at the The Ohio State University advocating for queer and trans inclusion on campus, while also serving as the Policy Organizer for Know Your IX, a nonprofit seeking to end sexual harassment and violence in schools.

    Sage Dolan Sandrino

    Sage Dolan-Sandrino, she/her, 19

    Creative

    Sage (she/her) is a citizen-artist, creative director, consultant, and founder of the digital zine and youth studio, TEAM MAG, who also serves on the advisory board for Gucci’s Chime for Change and the National Black Justice Coalition’s Trans Advisory Board.

    Sameer Jha

    Sameer Jha, any pronouns (they/them preferred), 18

    Activist

    Sameer (any pronouns: they/them preferred) is a student and activist who founded The Empathy Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to making schools safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth.

    Sarah Rose Huckman

    Sarah Rose Huckman, she/her, 19

    Student/Athlete

    Sarah Rose (she/her) is a student athlete who appeared in the award-winning documentary Changing the Game and has been instrumental in establishing nondiscrimination policies in New Hampshire for trans people and trans student athletes.

    Shannon Li

    Shannon Li, she/her or they/them, 19

    Student

    Shannon (she/they) is a UX design student at the University of Michigan and GLAAD Campus Ambassador dedicated to breaking down barriers for queer woman of color in STEM.

    Zoey Luna

    Zoey Luna, she/her, 18

    Actress

    Zoey (she/her) is a trans actress making waves in Hollywood, recently appearing in FX’s Pose and being cast to star in Blumhouse and Columbia Pictures’ highly-anticipated reimagining of The Craft. 

    20 Under 20 Honors

    20 Under 20 honors are eligible to LGBTQ young people between the ages of 13 and 20 years old who are working to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people and have been featured in broad regional or national media. The 20 Under 20 list celebrates the next generation of LGBTQ leaders in media advocacy, including journalists, actors, musicians, students, activists, and other young change agents.

    GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 honorees gain access to a network of resources made available by the largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization in the world. 20 Under 20 honorees will receive the opportunity to participate in an exclusive live-stream media training hosted by the GLAAD Media Institute. Throughout the year, GLAAD will also help give greater visibility to the 20 Under 20 honorees in the media, including opportunities such as helping to secure media placements, elevating projects on social media, and connecting honorees with unique industry resources for achieving their future goals.

    For more information about the 20 Under 20 program, visit www.glaad.org/20under20.

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