LGBTQIA+ (U)

<p>Schuyler Bailar is the first transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team.</p><p>By 15, Schuyler was one of the nation’s top-20 15-year-old breast-strokers. By 17, he set a national age-group record. In college, he swam for Harvard University, on the winningest Harvard team in 50 years. Schuyler’s difficult choice – to transition while potentially giving up the prospect of being an NCAA Champion – was historic and timely.</p><p>His story has appeared everywhere from 60 Minutes to <i>The Ellen Show</i>.

<p>Best known for his role as the “Culture Vulture” in the Emmy Award-winning show <em>Queer Eye For The Straight Guy</em>, Jai has been helping to shape American culture—and the cultural representation of the LGBTQ community—for nearly two decades.</p><p> Emmy Award-winning actor Jai Rodriguez’s career began at age 18, when he was cast as Angel in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical <em>Rent</em>.

<p>As the first openly LGBTQ+ professional to play in the NFL, R.K. Russell articulates how truth is essential to not only survive but to thrive.</p><p>In addition to being a professional football player in the NFL, he is also a published poet, writer, and artist. R.K. dedicated his life to football. He learned the responsibility and hard work it took to become a Big Ten Starter, an All-Conference player, and a reliable teammate. Off the field, he began to take his studies more seriously, write long-form creative pieces, and discover his sexuality. R.K.

<p>Amiyah Scott is a proud advocate of the <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">LGBTQ+ </span>community and has centralized her focus on giving Transgender Females a voice. Amiyah’s confidence and outspoken attitude resonates with the culture.

<p>On October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, son of Judy and Dennis Shepard, was brutally attacked, tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming, and left to die. In the aftermath of Matt’s death – an anti-gay hate crime - Judy and Dennis Shepard started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor his life and aspirations.

<p>Gordon is a Visiting Scholar at the USC Games and head of the USC Bridge incubator program, helping to cultivate the next generation of leaders in our craft.

<p>Model, Actress, Author, Advocate and Activist Dominique Jackson is best known for her leading role of Elektra Abundance on the FX television series <i>Pose</i>.</p><p>From fleeing persecution as a transgender woman in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago to starring in television hits, Dominique Jackson has seen it all.

<p>Known for his starring Broadway roles in <em>Hamilton</em> and<em> Thoughts of a Colored Man</em>, as well as for Netflix’s <em>Inventing Anna</em> and Disney+’s Emmy Award-winning <em>Sneakerella</em>, Bryan Terrell Clark inspires audiences to dream big, create a positive impact on others, and discover the best version of themselves.</p><p>Bryan has also appeared in numerous television and streaming productions such as the critically acclaimed Netflix drama <em>When They See Us</em>, <em>Queen Sugar</

<p>CeCe McDonald shares profoundly affecting stories from her life as a trans woman of color and hate crime survivor, while inspiring audiences to stand up for acceptance, justice and equality.</p><p>CeCe is a transgender activist and revered icon of the LGBTQ community.

<p>Zeke Thomas is a renowned Open Format DJ and Producer.