My Story: Emmett Patterson (Video)

Born and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, a conservative area outside of Pittsburgh, Emmett's process of identity exploration was not welcomed by his community. Experiencing discrimination, first as a queer woman and then as a trans man, Emmett committed himself to advocating and educating his community. During his senior year in high school, Emmett was nationally recognized as GLSEN's 2011 Student Advocate of the Year for founding the first public school GSA in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Emmett studied Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Public Health, with a focus on LGBTI access to health care at the American University in Washington, DC

Today, Emmett is a vocal advocate for trans health and human rights and is working actively in the sphere of HIV awareness-raising. He was a crucial part of our #endHIVbg pilot project.

You can watch his touching and brave personal story below.