I'm wearing capri pants and a light top with an elbow and leg touching the base of a Roman column.
In the summer of 1988, at 15, i did an exchange program with a family in Lyons, France. Here i am at the city's Ancient Theatre of Fourvière. There weren't signs about not touching the Roman columns, which isn't something i'd do today, signs or no.

Hello there.

Thanks so much for coming to visit my website.

I want to take a minute to directly address all of you queer and trans teens and to assure you that you are enough.

No matter what the world tells you, there is nothing wrong with you. Whom you're attracted to or not attracted to is perfect. Whom you fall in love with or don't fall in love with is perfect. Your gender identity and gender expression are perfect.

The world is wrong about you; you are not wrong for the world. I hope you can hear that and really feel it.

I know that, as teens, you lack power -- the ability to change or influence things. And this may be doubly true if you're queer/trans and disabled. That doesn't mean that you can't make change. But it does mean that adults, especially parents, teachers, and lawmakers, can try to stop you from building the world you want to live in.

But here's the thing: They. Will. Not. Succeed. They may be stopping you now. But they can't stop you forever.

You also need to know there are people out there right now fighting for you. That includes teachers and staff at your school (yes, even your school — you never know what goes on when students aren't present). It also includes lawyers who are bringing lawsuits against all those laws banning gender-affirming care for "minors." And it includes your parents (if they're supportive). And your other relatives (ditto). And your friends (ditto).

If you haven't found that support yet, it is out there. It may be just around the corner — i hope that that's the case for you.

I'm not implying that everything out there is all fun and rainbows; it's not. That's the reason for this website. And that may be why you're here.

We are in a very tough period in US history; queer and trans tweens and teens are bearing the brunt of that, especially for those of you who are Black and Brown.

But we will turn the corner; it's happened in the past and it will happen again.

It happened in the 1950s and 1960s when drag queens, butch lesbians, and homeless queer youth were openly and violently oppressed by law enforcement and where many "homosexuals" were targeted by the US government, especially those in federal jobs. We responded with the Stonewall Riots and a plethora of gay & lesbian rights organizations and publications.

It happened again in the 1980s and early 1990s as many in the US reacted to the first years of the HIV and AIDS epidemic with open hostility to anyone in our community. We responded by rejecting the stigma of HIV, by demanding — with non-violent direct action — that the federal government fund and hasten research into medications that could prevent and cure AIDS. And we responded by taking care of our own, assuring that as few gay and bi men as possible died alone, abandoned by their families.

(You can check out this history-focused list for some of the other history-making people and movements that have helped shape queer and trans communities today.)

And it's happening now, in the 2020s, as ultra-conservative forces in this country react with viciousness as they see themselves losing the "culture war" that includes open and proud LGBTQA+/SGL folx of all ages and as white Christian evangelicals, Christian fundamentalists, and Christian nationalists see themselves becoming a religious, cultural, political, and racial minority.

And we continue to respond, this time by electing LGBTQA+/SGL legislators (even in the face of also electing Donald Trump to a second term) and by successfully fighting anti-queer and anti-trans legislation; by being openly and proudly queer or trans as educators, therapists, parents, singers, actors, athletes, and so many other things; by fighting back against book bans that almost exclusively target books for children and youth about queer and trans lives and the lives of folx in BIPOC communities; and by supporting you, our queer and trans young people. My deepest hope is that this website becomes a part of that response.

The most important thing for you to remember is this: we have always fought back, we will always fight back, and this time is no different.

Our antagonists will lose. And we will win. Queer and trans folx and those in BIPOC communities will come out on top. Not in turning around and oppressing our oppressors. But in being wholly, completely, utterly, and proudly ourselves. It has been glorious before. And it will be even more glorious when it happens again.

And i want you to be here for that. You deserve to see what your world will be like when you can live fully and openly as yourself. Because, yes, that day will come.

Please. Stick around.

If you ever feel like things are so bad that you can't make it through, please get help. There are crisis resources out there with folx ready to support you.

Do you want me to send this website to anyone in your life? R2T2 exists to give adults information; I'm happy to let your important adults know that this resource is out there for them. You can give me their deets in this contact form.

I hope that this website makes your life a little easier because an adult (or three) will have a better idea of how to support you. If you have other ideas of how R2T2 can do that, please let me know through my main contact form. I'm all ears.

You may not be able to control what people say about you -- people in the media, people in politics, people in your school, people in your own family. And you might not be able to vote yet.

But remember that you're a part of a long line of people fighting to make this world a better place -- for LGBTQA+/SGL people and for so many others in communities that are marginalized (a term you'll find defined in the glossary). We've been victorious many times in the past, and we will be again. If you can help us get to that point, fantastic. But if you're just working on making it through, that's okay, too.

If you're up to it, what can you do? R2T2 has hundreds of ideas. They're generally geared toward adults. But some might be relevant to you, too. On top of what's already here, there are several other things you can do:

  1. When you're old enough, register to vote -- and then VOTE.
  2. Contact your legislators. If you want, you can share your story as a queer or trans teen. Let them know that you want them to support you. And if you're calling about a particular piece of legislation, give them the bill's title/number (e.g., SB257).
  3. Advocate for yourself and others in school and your religious community.
  4. Write blog posts or letters to the editor about what it's like being a queer or trans young person today.

That's just the beginning. There's so much more you can do if you're up for it. And if you're not, that's okay. No one is obligated to put themselves out there. If you're in that situation, bake cookies -- literally more metaphorically -- for the people who are out there being activists; they'd probably love it.

But in any case, please stick around so you can see and enjoy that moment of victory and all the moments that will follow it. You deserve nothing less than to be here to greet that world with open arms.

Always remember that you are worthy of love, affection, joy, and LIFE.

Sending you peace and striving for justice,

  Shannon

PS If you're curious, in addition to the 6 photos below, you can find pictures of my tween self on this page. Ditto on seeing my adult self on this page.

For all of them, hover your mouse over any of the visible pictures and you'll find left/right arrows about halfway down the photo "boxes," on the far left side. And at below the pictures, you'll see a "Play slideshow" button, which will scroll slowly through the images.