Today, we, and Trans, Queer, and Nonbinary youth across the country, are able to look towards a more hopeful and united future.
We are driven and inspired by the hope that Trans, Queer, and Nonbinary young people hold for their future. We’ve heard from countless young people who know they hold tremendous power to shape the vision of our country. They are inspired by massive voter turnout among young people, by the number of states where voters decisively flipped political control, and by increased civic engagement among youth who are not yet eligible to vote, including serving as poll workers or supporting voter registration. And they are inspired to see more Trans women and LGBTQ+ people of color elected to offices across the country.
Young people have shown that they have the power–and the numbers–to create change. Energized by climate change, criminal justice reform, healthcare access, and gun control, young people made history in this Presidential election with record-breaking voter turnout and in key battleground states like Georgia where young Black voters in particular were influential in the state’s results. We now know with complete certainty that young people–who made up about 20% of the total votes cast across the country–overwhelmingly voted for change.
There is power in the youth vote that envisions a more just future. In 2018, young people showed up to vote against racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic rhetoric that had been emboldened following the last Presidential election. At that time, we saw the March for Our Lives movement galvanize young voters in favor of gun violence prevention and were credited with having played a crucial role in flipping control of the House of Representatives. Today, the remarkable turnout of young voters is an unequivocal sign that young people will continue to have a powerful voice in our democracy.
Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network (GSA Network) is a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains trans, queer, and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities. In California, GSA Network connects over 1,000 GSA clubs through regional summits and youth councils. Nationally, GSA Network leads the National Association of GSA Networks which unites 40 statewide networks of GSA clubs, and GSAs Unite, an online campaign and petition platform supporting youth organizers across the country.