ZURIEL HOOKS
At the age of 19, Zuriel Hooks is already a powerful woman. As leader of the Youth Ambassador Program at The Knights and Orchids, a non-profit specializing in trans healthcare access, Hooks has devoted herself to advocating for LGBTQ+ healthcare rights. As a trans woman, she knows firsthand the need for gender affirming healthcare. “I’m the advocate that I am today, for LGBTQ+ rights and more, because I understand the painful process of not having resources, a community, and a space where you can fully show up as yourself,” Hooks says. Having experienced this, she now works to remind young people of their unique positions in the world, and to create a future where all LGBTQ+ youth can fully be themselves. “I still see myself immersed in community, helping and guiding young queer children,” Hooks says when asked about her future goals. But she has other goals as well. In addition to her work as an activist, Hooks is also a content creator, poet, and aspiring model. For her, these aspirations are integral to her work with LGBTQ+ youth and she hopes to create inspiring, never-before-seen “looks that are out of this world” simply by “being myself, unapologetically.” By taking a stand, Hooks wants to ensure that every LGBTQ+ youth knows they, too, can be unapologetically themselves.
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