Special Edition: Pride Month 2022
Dear YS Community,
Happy pride month! Below, we are spotlighting some LGBTQIA+ members of the Young Storytellers community who have made everything we do possible. We hope you enjoy getting to know their stories. Although Pride Month gives us a time to highlight queer voices, we work to raise the voices of the diverse members of our community all year round.
If you’re looking for resources, GLAAD has a list of wonderful organizations that advocate for and help make a difference in the lives of individuals from this community, such as the Human Rights Campaign.
STORYTELLER SPOTLIGHTS
Meet a Young Storytellers Intern: Darius Amir, he/him/his
Communications and Operations Intern
What identities are important to you?
Being trans, pan, desi, and a writer.
How do you feel about working at Young Storytellers?
I really enjoy working at Young Storytellers. Not only is the job itself really fun, but our programs really do have an impact.
What does Pride Month mean to you?
Growing up in Pakistan for a little bit, I didn’t really see much queer representation in media or anything. Pride month to me offers a chance to be able to see that representation and that makes me really happy.
Shout out your favorite LGBTQIA+ creatives, organizations, or businesses.
I would like to shout out Ari/Ririzoe who makes some really cool fanart of some games and anime that I really enjoy. They also recently started making some really nice necklaces.
Meet an Alumni: Nicole Julian, she/he/they
Alum of Movie Makers Program at New York Film Academy
What are some identities that are important to you?
I am a nonbinary, pan, poly writer and screenwriter.
Tell us a little about the story you wrote.
I wrote a story that was an homage piece to Amélie of Montreal, the French film, and it was called an “Apple a Day” and it was based on the idiom, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” And I got to shoot on Universal Studios backlot and it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve done.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I am so happy that Young Storytellers exists through helping anyone of all ages to be able to create stories in a very very safe space.
Meet a Young Storytellers Staff Member: Ani Cooney, he/him/his
Program and Schools Strategist
What are some identities that are important to you?
Writer of Fiction, Queer and Filipino, Family (and moderately funny) man (in no particular order, but all important to who I am).
What is it like working at Young Storytellers?
I feel incredibly lucky to be working with intelligent and passionate colleagues who all want to see a world where our students can share their colorful stories out loud and proud. I learn something new everyday working in YS, in the schools we serve, and from our young writers!
Has being LGBTQ (and if applicable, BIPOC alongside that) impacted the way you work/live? If so, how?
Everyday. I try my best to view everyone I interact with as a product of intersecting identities and unique experiences. My intersecting identities multiply my perspectives and make me richer because I know and experience more.
What does pride month mean to you?
Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and our queer ancestors who first threw the bricks in order for us to live louder now.
Would you like to shout out any of your favorite LGBTQ creatives, organizations, or businesses?
One Archives and Pride Publics -- this is the oldest existing LGBTQ+ organization in the United States and a community partner that supports ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, the largest library of LGBTQ materials in the world.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us, whether it relates to pride month, Young Storytellers, or something else?
A quote from James Baldwin: "…you have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all. That’s the only advice you can give anybody."
Meet a Volunteer: Brandon Krajewski
What are some identities that are important to you?
I'm a gay writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles and I'm lucky enough to work for Universal and their scripted television department.
What role did you play when volunteering with Young Storytellers?
I've worked with Young Storytellers multiple times. I've worked with sets, creating movie posters and taglines and pitches. And I've also worked on creating short stories with some young storytellers.
Has being LGBTQ impacted your work or life in general? If so, how?
I would say my queer identity was a struggle for the first 20 years of my life. I hated it, hated myself. It was very very difficult. I grew up in a very religious Midwest part of the country where I thought I was the only gay person for the first 20 years of my life. Things are different now. That's great, and now this Sunday, I'm gonna be marching in the Pride Parade in West Hollywood for my company. So, my queer identity has really really changed a lot and is a big part of who I am and I love that.
