Scotts Valley resident Q Licht has been featured for his activism in a recent issue of Teen Vogue, a national fashion, culture and lifestyle magazine for both teenagers and young adults in their 20s.
Since 2020, Teen Vogue started an awards collaboration with GLAAD to honor young adult LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Nonbinary and other) activists.
GLAAD, which stands for Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is a nonprofit organization that works to promote positive representation of the LGBTQIA+ community through media.
The collaboration—GLAAD’s “20 Under 20” list—highlights young adults who are spreading the messages of acceptance, positivity and pride through their leadership and accomplishments. These outstanding influencers include activists, actors, musicians and even Olympic athletes.
And now, the 2024 list includes 19-year-old Licht of Scotts Valley.
Licht founded the Purple Sticker Project to help promote positive representation of LGBTQIA+ people in media for young students. Through this project, Licht became “one of the first openly transgender male members of the Girl Scouts in Central California to earn a Gold Award,” according to Teen Vogue.
The Purple Sticker Project then led to another opportunity—“The Top 40 LGBTQ+ Books that Every School Library Should Have”—a $30,000 collaboration with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Public Libraries and local educators to provide books and school curriculum with positive representation of LGBTQIA+ people in history, art, athletics and beyond.
“I didn’t see myself reflected in books,” Licht said before he started the project.
But times are changing, and Licht’s and all the “20 Under 20” young adults’ message of respect through working on positive representation in media is now reaching a worldwide audience.
“My goal is that my activism work will become obsolete as the problems I am working to fix disappear. Until then, I will continue doing my best to help everyone. In the words of Commander Spock, ‘Live long and prosper!’” Licht said.
View GLAAD’s “20 Under 20” list online at teenvogue.com/story/glaad-20-under-20-2024.
