A 21ST CENTURY ADVOCATE…
EVEN BEFORE STARTING HIS CAREER AS A CREATOR AND INFLUENCER, RJ HAS BEEN A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE, VOLUNTEER, AND SPEAKER FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ACROSS A RANGE OF ISSUES. HIS WORK HAS SUBSEQUENTLY LED HIM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND TO HISTORIC RESULTS.
THE “B” ISN’T SILENT…
Did you know that Bisexual, Pansexual, fluid, and other “Bi+” people make up the single largest portion of the LGBTQIA+ community? We’re also the most diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender identity. We also experience significant physical and mental health disparities: including markedly higher rates of rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, mood disorders, poverty, substance abuse, and workplace discrimination than straight or even gay people. Yet, despite all that, Bi+ people remain the most underrepresented, underserved, and underfunded members of the Queer community. Less than 0.5% of funding for LGBTQIA+ causes goes towards helping Bi+ people. That’s why RJ, an out and proud “Bi guy” in his own right, has spent his entire adult life championing the most overlooked letter of the acronym. It’s a fight that he’s taken to social media, multiple colleges and universities, the streets of LA, New York, and DC, as well as to San Diego Comic Con, the West Hollywood City Council, and The White House.
Video highlights…
identity in the age of social media…
These days, social media companies are making headlines with all of the questionable things they do with their data and algorithms: from violating our privacy to stoking political violence to fueling body image issues in kids and teens. Since his early days as a content creator, RJ has been raising the alarm about Big Tech and the various second order effects they have been imposing on their creators and users. He’s penned multiple op-eds, given multiple interviews, and advocated directly to social apps. He’s also developed a presentation/keynote entitled “I Think, I Am: Identity in the Age of Social Media”, which combines both research and insights he’s gathered from almost 15 years of working in the field… all to gather insights about how tech and social platforms have come to shape the very way that we think about ourselves and each other.
#iresist bigotry and hatred
While issues of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of bigotry aren’t entirely new…these issues have taken on an entirely different flavor in today’s ultra-polarized sociopolitical climate. Few people understand this better than queer creators of color, who were already on the digital front lines as social platforms proceeded to fan the flames of hatred and extremism. But with this experience came insight, which RJ has funneled into successful organizing efforts like the #ResistMarch, which remains the second largest LGBTQ+ demonstration in United States history. As divided and polarized as our society appears to be, experience and insight tell us that most people hope to make the world more equal, tolerant, and fair for all…the only question is how. Turns out, there is an approach that can let us make strides across all these various communities and struggles. The key is start with and uplift those who already stand at the center of multiple “axes of oppression”, and then craft inclusive programs and messaging that include everyone else from there. As RJ often says: “the rising tide only lifts all boats when it starts from the bottom.”
who says resistance can’t be fun?
healthcare is a human right
Healthcare access is one of the biggest barriers we face as a society when it comes to fighting both disease and institutional inequality. Healthcare costs are already the largest cause of bankruptcy in the United States, and that’s before we factor in how a lack of healthcare access fuels a host of preventable health issues: from heart disease and stroke to cancer to mental health crises. As someone who has been open about many of his own mental and physical health struggles, RJ has championed greater access to care as an integral part of his activism. This is how he’s gotten involved with the California LGBTQ Heath & Human Services Network, Young Invincibles, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Surgeon General’s Office, and been invited to the Obama Administration’s final two “Dialog on Men’s Health” events.
the thirst is real…
Do you think you could live on less than four liters of water a day? That’s a little less than one gallon. Per day. That’s the reality of someone living in “water poverty”, and it’s a difficult life to say the least. All you have to do is try it for a day and you’ll see, which is what RJ and a number of other creators have done while participating in the #4Liters challenge to help raise funds and awareness to fight water poverty. You might be surprised to learn that there are people experiencing water poverty here in the United States, and RJ has gone to speak with some of these people firsthand and even helped install running water for them for the first time.