GLAAD RELEASES FOURTH ANNUAL 20 UNDER 20 LIST, SPOTLIGHTING YOUNG LGBTQ TRAILBLAZERS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MEDIA & ACTIVISM

GLAAD’s fourth annual 20 Under 20 list features a diverse collection of young changemakers, including actors Noah Schnapp, and Luke Islam, Trans Youth Prom organizers Daniel Trujillo, Hobbes Chukumba, Libby Gonzales, Grayson McFerrin, and trans activist Rebekah Bruesehoff among others.

New York, NY – Tuesday, September 26, 2023 – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today revealed its fourth annual 20 Under 20 list, spotlighting twenty young LGBTQ people, ages 20 and under, who are accelerating acceptance of LGBTQ people while shaping the future of media and activism.

GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list launched this morning in Teen Vogue, featuring individual portraits of each honoree by NYC-based illustrator, animator, and director Blackpower Barbie. See the full list here.

Full profiles of the 20 Under 20 honorees can be found at TeenVogue.com. This year’s honorees include:

• Brooklynne Webb, she/her, 19, queer content creator and singer with over 10 million TikTok followers, her videos center on body positivity and being yourself unapologetically
• CJ King, he/him, 19, model and “Junk Kouture” designer who was banned from competition in Abu Dhabi due to anti-LGBTQ laws
• Dylan Brandt, he/him, 17, trans rights activist who testified on trial against Arkansas’s ban on gender-affirming care
• Evann McIntosh, they/them,19, pop singer/songwriter behind projects like “Character Development” and “Mojo”
• Harleigh Walker, she/her, 16, trans rights activist who testified in support of gender-affirming care in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
• Isaac Dunbar, he/him, 20, singer/songwriter nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards for his EP “Banish the Banshee”
• Isabella Fallahi, she/her, 20, queer Iranian and Latina activist, student, abolitionist and community organizer. Has worked with March For Our Lives, Women’s March of Indiana, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, and Zero Hour. Founder of anti-pollution coalition, Polluters Out
• Jaiden Blancaflor, he/him, 20, a disabled LGBTQ student of color advocating for human rights and equality for all through social media
• Jameson Lee Johnson (Ophelia Peaches), he/they, 18, drag performer and public speaker who appeared on Discovery+’s reality series Generation Drag
• Lauren Scruggs, she/her, 20, Harvard athlete, best women’s foil fencer at the college level in the United States
• Lee Gordon, she/they, 19, LGBTQ racial justice grassroots organizer, Behavioral Scientist, and Abolitionist serving as the Head of Racial Justice at Queer Youth Assemble
• Lucía Umeki-Martínez, they/she/he, 19, race and diversity reporter at The Daily Californian,
• Luke Islam, he/him, 16, singer and actor, has appeared in Theater Camp, 13, America’s Got Talent, and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
• Noah Schnapp, he/him, 18, openly gay actor best known for his role as Will in Netflix’s Stranger Things
• Rebekah Bruesehoff, she/her, 16, trans rights activist, author, and athlete who has spoken out in front of politicians and policymakers since she was 10-years-old
• Reuben De Maid, he/him, 19, makeup artist and beauty influencer who starred in the CW’s docuseries about his life Being Rueben
• Rosie Couture, she/her, 20, queer activist and political organizer. Co-founder and Executive Director of Generation Ratify; the young people’s movement to finalize the Equal Rights Amendment and advance gender justice in the United States
• Trans Youth Prom Organizers: Daniel Trujillo,16, he/him, Hobbes Chukumba, 16, he/him, Libby Gonzales, 13, she/her Grayson McFerrin-Hogan,12, they/them,
• Xavier Logan, he/they, 20, dancer, choreographer, model, and student at Juilliard, first-ever student to choreograph hip hop on the Juilliard mainstage
• Zachary Willmore, he/him, 20, Tik Tok creator with almost 2 million followers living openly with HIV and advocating for HIV awareness

The honorees on GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list were selected by an internal committee at GLAAD, specializing in LGBTQ entertainment, media, and activism. Honorees were chosen based on the following criteria: 1) The honoree works to positively affect marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQ people; 2) The honoree has been featured in or a part of broad regional or national news media stories, public media campaigns, or other public media initiatives; 3) The honoree enhances representation for LGBTQ people through media advocacy; 4) The honoree utilizes an intersectional approach to LGBTQ advocacy.

GLAAD launched its inaugural 20 Under 20 list in June 2020, featuring model Aaron Philip, rapper Kidd Kenn, actors Ian Alexander, Joshua Rush, Josie Totah, and Logan Rozos, activists X González, Jazz Jennings, Jamie Margolin, and Sarah Rose Huckman, among others. Check out the list here.

2021’s list featured international pop star Jojo Siwa, actress Yasmin Finney, trailblazing activists and influencers like Andrea Alejandra Gonzales, Ashton Mota, Onyx, Gia Parr, and Ve’ondre Mitchell, and more. Check out the list here.

2022’s list included trans supermodel Alex Consani, actors Elva Guerra, Milly Shapiro, and Gabriella Pizzolo, and groundbreaking activists such as Aidan Kohn-Murphy, Olivia Julianna, Javier Gomez, and Zuriel Hooks just to name a few. Read last year’s list here.

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.