Young, Queer, and Organized
FIERCE! and Q-team may be located on opposite sides of the country, but they couldn’t be closer in working to empower young queer and trans youth of color and building broader, more inclusive social justice movements. On Thursday, October 4, members from each of these impressive grassroots organizations, including Q-team’s Ned del Callejo, come together to share their innovative strategies for changing the world.
FIERCE! is a community organization for Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Queer, and Questioning (TLGBTSQQ) youth of color in New York City dedicated to exploring and building power in our communities through a mix of leadership and campaign development, artistic and cultural activism, and political education. FIERCE! organizes against injustices related to housing, employment, education, healthcare, and the criminal “justice” system, and works against the perpetuation of transphobia, homophobia, racism, ethnic conflict, gender bias, economic injustice, ageism, and the spread of HIV, STIs and STDs.
Q-team is a queer and trans youth of color collective rooted in Los Angeles. Q-team exists to challenge and resist the many interlocking systems of oppression through multi-issue grassroots organizing. Q-team is committed to building and sustaining safe physical and political spaces for the empowerment of young people by advancing their leadership abilities through education and the promotion of wellness. Q-team believes in love, respect, dignity and self-determination. They ally themselves with the global social justice movement, committed to freedom and human rights for everyone.
Ned del Callejo is a youth organizer with Q-Team in Los Angeles. Ned identifies as a working class queer and trans youth of color from Southeast Los Angeles. Ned started organizing at 16 as part of an environmental justice youth organizing project, Youth for Environmental Justice, of Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) in California and currently sits on the board of directors. In 2002, Ned, along with 7 other queer and trans youth of color, helped to found Q-Team. Ned became staff member for Q-Team in 2003 as an intern for Public Allies LA and continues with Q-Team today as a core member and organizer, helping to develop and strengthen Q-Team and their mission to empower and mobilize queer and trans youth of color for social justice and human rights.