I am the Program Coordinator of a leadership program for queer youth, and when the youth were discussing ways in which they wanted to address transphobia in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) they decided that they wanted to host a rally/protest at a school board meeting. 

It’s my job to provide the resources necessary for whatever actions the youth propose, but we are just a group of 15 and I knew that the rally had a good intention behind it but wouldn’t pack the punch desired given the limited lead up time. So I opted to host a protest sign making workshop, bringing in an experienced community organizer from a local organization to lead a discussion around protest messaging.

After the groundwork was established, the youth were given space and a window of time to craft messages that best encapsulate their advocacy beliefs and create signs that could be used at any protest/rally of their choosing, lasting far beyond one event.

Many youth mentioned at first feeling very overwhelmed with the seeming permanence of this activity, but when given space to experiment and reflect on what they really wanted to communicate, the slogans practically wrote themselves leaving space for the fun and creativity to take center stage.