This young queer -men in California share their vision of the future with their own words (2024)

With the recent polls showing that about a quarter of the Z -Adults gene in the United States identifies as LGBTQ+, it is clear that the future is strange than ever.

And yet a majority of the respondents in a recent oneNational poll for Los Angeles TimesSaid they don't know anyone who is transgender or not -binary.

Queer Youth comes from all layers of life and from all over the country, but a lotends in CaliforniaWhere they areembrace yourself, to find friends andConstruction company.They also dream large - some for the first time - about their own days.

Her,Six strange young peopleFrom Los Angeles and San Francisco Open who they are and how they see the future.

Dayanna Gamez, 20, hun/de

Dayanna Gamez.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

How do you identify?Like a strange woman.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?"I wish people can understand the depth on which I can really go [to help people understand themselves deeply in a more loving way."

What kind of career do you hope to strive?"At the moment I am a shadow work that heals, so I shine lights on the shadows of people through speech and coaching, so that I can help them overcome their inner demons."

What role will queere youth play in the future?“Queer Youth will play a very big role to just help people free their minds [from] believe that they are limited, that they cannot do certain things because of certain ways or certain laws or certain things.Access to inner freedom to be more yourself, more freed. "

What is your hope for your own future?"I just want to live, but I want it. I actually want to live because I feel that there are so many people who just survive ... I want to help people get to know themselves at deeper levels and just bring my light everywhere."

ELIO HAWK GARCIA, 22 ÅR, DE/DEM

ELIO HAWK GARCIA

(Josh Edelson / For Times)

How do you identify?2Spirit.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?“When I say that I am listening to everything, I literally listen to everything.There is no music genre that I will not listen to. "

What kind of career do you hope to strive?"At the moment I am a full student."

What role will queere youth play in the future?"Queer Youth will shape and change what it means to be a queer in the world, because it has always been that way and how it will always be."

What is your hope for your own future?“I hope I can spend the rest of my life what I love with the person I love in a place I love.I assume I just want to stay happy. "

Emmi Gonzalez-Soto, 22, Hun/Van

EMMI GONZALEZ-SOTO.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

How do you identify?Like a transwoman.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?"I wish people knew in advance that I was a stranger, so they can tell me," it's okay, it's who you are, don't be afraid of it, "and instead I would abandon my truth much from mytruth of the frightened autistic child in high schoolcurrentBe strange. ”

What kind of career do you hope to strive?"I want to be in early childhood in education."

What role will queere youth play in the future?"Youth is generally closer to taking power than ever."

What is your hope for your own future?“I want to embrace my own style, my own femininity, whether it is not traditional.Because I feel good about myself.This is my femininity.And if it makes people crazy, the better. "

fnnus John (26,

Evan Johnson

(Josh Edelson / For Times)

How do you identify?Agers and asexual.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?"I wish people knew that one of my hope as I get older is that I keep doing the same ruthless things that I did" when I was younger "for the rest of my life."

What kind of career do you hope to strive?“I absolutely want to stay in the rack of advocacy - perhaps after completing my [Master of Social Work], I will discuss the advocacy of the patient or medical social work.School board and set a different tone than what we have recently seen. "

What role will queere youth play in the future?“In addition to things such as how they influence areas of advocacy and social change in the affected population, I am very enthusiastic about seeing what the future of parenthood looks like for this new generation.Standards and more aware of all the ways in which people appear, so I can't wait to see that it continues to develop! "

What is your hope for your own future?“To finally have an apartment large enough for another cat and/or a dog.But in the short term I will get some of the tattoos that I said I would do that when I was a child and started a master's degree.More institutions that must be confronted with the reality of queer professionals and academics, and I will certainly be part of it. "

Iziaih Choquette, 27, De/Dem

Iziaih Choquette

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

How do you identify?Not -binair.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?"How much I love people and our general experiences such as people and the chance for everyone to have equal opportunities to reach the potential or dreams they have."

What kind of career do you hope to strive?"I go to a different career every day ... Like 'Hello, I want to be a dog ending today' or 'I want to be a nursing temperature today' or I want to cook and bake."Life always changes, and to always be ready for it. "

What role will queere youth play in the future?"They have already started their role."

What is your hope for your own future?“I do a lot of work in homelessness in youth here in L.A., and my goal is to set it or at least to play a role in a system that makes people supported and connected to resources and the house within two to four hoursAfter waiting, stable, [then] that there is no [longer] this mass population that homelessness is growing in our youth. "

Mark Anthony Chavez, 22, Han/de

Mark Anthony Chavez

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

How do you identify?Strange and not -binair.

What is one thing you want people to know about you?“Especially if you have experienced a lot of judgment and prejudices in your life, there are really only two routes, it can really go: it is so protected and secret and safe [to] to ensure that you are no longer injured, or [thelearns to take people as they are and try to create so much safe space for them ... I hope people come from me that I will not judge you on anything. "

What kind of career do you hope to strive?"I really want to work in marketing and communication in the art world."

What role will queere youth play in the future?“We have such a great demography to gain independence, get to know and get a spirit of light and love they need for themselves and for others, and it really gives the whole queer youth a really bright future in terms of termscare Andre and care for the world. "

What is your hope for your own future?“I just want to be comfortable and be happy.Many people when they grow up, they lose these ideas about greatness for their lives. "