KRISTIN RUSSO
What started as an advice website has turned into a far-reaching career helping parents and kids communicate about sexuality and gender identity. Kristin Russo is the co-creator with Dannielle Owens-Reid of Everyone Is Gay, which is part YouTube channel answering kids´ questions and part outreach organization that tours schools, workplaces and community centers to educate others on important queer and trans issues. No, Russo doesn´t think that everyone is gay. It´s just an exercise she asks people to consider to figure out what´s really going on in their relationships. “Let´s say that everyone is gay or that everyone is trans, let´s take that out of the equation and think about what you´re saying,” Russo says in a school presentation. “What you´re saying is that you want your parents to support you. You want them to believe in you. What you´re saying is that you want your friends to understand you. And at its core, that is something that we can all understand.” Russo also hosts and co-produces First Person, a video series on gender and sexuality from PBS Digital and WNET. She co-authored the book This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids and is the co-founder of The Parents Project, a digital resource for parents of LGBTQ kids. -SJ
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