I am not here because the world made space for me. I am here because I carved out my own space — rooted in truth, defiance, and the unwavering belief that justice is non-negotiable. Growing up Queer, Fat, Trans, Disabled, and Autistic with ADHD in Appalachia, later planting new roots in the Midwest, I learned early how the world decides who belongs — and who it erases. Through my years on this earth, I have navigated childhood abuse, domestic violence, religious trauma, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, medical fatphobia, and the relentless ways the world tries to break those like me. For years, the weight of being different taught me to shrink. To make myself small. To disappear. Until I realized that survival was not in silence, but in taking up space.

I have spent my life dismantling the narratives forced onto people like me — narratives meant to silence, erase, and confine. My queerness, transness, fatness, disability, and neurodivergence are not just pieces of my identity; they are the lens through which I see the world and the foundation of everything I do. Over the years, I have worked at the intersections of storytelling, research, advocacy, and community care, guided by the belief that lived experience is not just valuable — it is essential. Liberation requires more than reform; it demands a complete reimagining of the systems that have harmed us. Whether through writing, service, mentorship, or organizing, my purpose remains the same: to build spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to exist unapologetically.

As a father, this work is deeply personal. I am raising a family in a world I am determined to help reshape — a world where tenderness is strength, authenticity is a right, and every child grows up knowing they are enough. The lessons I pass on to my children are the same ones that guide my work: truth matters, compassion is resistance, and the future is always being written. 

My story is still unfolding, and the work I do is constantly evolving, but the heart of it will always remain the same and grounded in my guiding values. I move forward with the conviction that transformation lives in the stories we tell, the communities we build, and the systems we refuse to accept as unchangeable. 

This is not just my work — it’s my life’s purpose.