Evan Low: Discusses his Work with the LGBTQ + Victory Fund and Victory Institute

At Highmark Health, we believe what makes us unique makes us better. Our differences broaden our perspectives and foster a variety of skills to complement each other, creating a stronger and more vibrant workforce. It's this belief that earned us recognition as the Best Place to Work for the 10th year for individuals with disabilities in a survey by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN. We'll continue to celebrate and benefit from the inclusion of all people. To find out more, visit highmarkhealth.org. Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, hi, welcome to the show. This is Joyce Bender with Disability Matters on Voice America. Um, you know, I love all of my listeners. Thank you again. Such dedicated followers. And as you know, I'm a woman living with epilepsy. I'm the CEO of Bender Consulting Services, a for-profit company that focuses on the employment of people with disabilities, and a not-for-profit, the Bender Leadership Academy. And the Bender Leadership Academy prepares high school students with disabilities for the world of work. So I am on a crusade for quality of life for people living with disabilities. And you know what? Just a couple months ago, we had our 1,000th episode. And you know why? Because of my great listeners. That's why. You stood behind me the whole time. And hi, Mark. Blue Cross Blue Shield, uh, has been the lead sponsor of this show for years. So I owe a lot to both of you, but especially my listeners here and around the world. Okay, from China to Australia, we have Germany, one of our biggest— the countries with the most listeners. 70, 70 countries with listeners. I want to tell you, I've said this before, I don't care if you're that one person in Saudi Arabia, that one, because I get all the data, one person can make a difference. One. So remember, you tell everyone you know that can get to an English-speaking venue about this radio show. Because all people anywhere in the world deserve quality of life and dignity, no matter where they are. Richard Roberts, who was in Brazil with the State Department, I'll bet you're back in the United States. Special shout out to you, Gang Young Cho in South Korea. You know how much I love you. And really all of my friends from Indonesia to Kazakhstan, to all the great countries I've been to, talk about employing people with disabilities. Thank you. And welcome to Pride Month. We are celebrating pride in the LGBTQ community. I am all about, you know, remembering that we have brothers and sisters with disabilities from the LGBTQ community. Remember that. And we are supportive of the LGBT community. And you know what? They have been there for me all the way to Tony Coelho, former Congressman Coelho, the author of the ADA, who, like my brother, he has been with me and represents the LGBTQ community forever. My point is, I have so many people that really this constituency has really stood behind me, um, in everything we're trying to do. And I have a famous person— I know I have a famous person on the show today, very well known, very powerful— the president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund or Institute, the one and only The real trailblazer, Evan Low. Welcome to the show today.

Joyce Bender, it's such a pleasure to be with you here. Happy Pride Month to you. And in your earlier comments about being part of the crusade, I know that I join gladly as a member of your cavalry in helping to uplift the voices of so many that are underserved as well too. So thank you for providing that space.

Oh, thank you. Uh, well, Evan, as you heard, we have listeners around the world, and what will happen is they will hear about someone here, a show, and then say, oh, I wish I knew more about them. So I have every guest tell their story. So if we could have you, you know, just share a little bit about yourself with our listeners, like you know, where you grew up, your family, school, you know, why you wanted to be in politics, as I know you were, because you are like one of those people that you're a first in so many different areas. So let's hear about you, Evan.

Thank you for the opportunity. Well, just briefly, my name is Evan Low, and I serve as president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Our organizations are dedicated to ensuring representation of LGBTQ+ people in elected and appointed office and public office. And so it then leads me back to when I was then about 20 years old and ran for office at 20 years old, just like every 20-year-old does. I run for office, and I'm a fourth-generation Californian. I ran for office in the city of Campbell in Silicon Valley, California. I lost that first race, but Victory Fund was there for me to invest in me, to identify me as a candidate, and then to thrust me right back in. And I was elected the second time around at 23 after losing the first race. But it was then Victory who stayed with me all the way through and helped me get elected to the California State Legislature, where I just concluded a decade of service. So 20 years of public service, and now hoping to pay it forward and contributing back to the organization that made it possible for someone like myself to be authentic and true of myself, and also to demonstrate the best of what America has to offer, which is that of public service. And that's where I am today.

Well, you know, that is Yeah, not every 20-year-old says, "I'm gonna run for office." That just shows how you are, uh, Evan. So you were the mayor, right?

That's right, yes.

And you— Campbell City Council, the youngest openly LGBTQ+ mayor in the nation. So, you know, when I was reading about you, I'm thinking, wow, just as you've said, how many 20-year-olds say, "I want to run for office"? I mean, You obviously had confidence and fortitude and really believed in yourself and didn't think small. And I hope every young person listening to this show today, especially those facing discrimination in not just the disability but the LGBT community, remembers you have to think big. So What has given you this incredible Energizer Bunny that you have?

I think, well, you make a very salient point, Joyce Bender, which is also the parallels that exist within the disability community, within individuals in our populations that might also need the safety net that is required. And of course, that's where the moral compass lies in that of our public servants. Ensuring that our city budgets, our county, our state budgets, our federal budgets are a statement of our values, and accordingly, the resources go into communities that need the most help. And when we think about that of identity as a member of the LGBT community, oftentimes I'll get a question, well, why is it relevant to talk about why it's important for women to run for office or those with disabilities or those that might be members of the LGBT community or whatever it might be? Yes, it is true that the fact of the matter is that I run for office in addressing the kitchen table issues like keeping our community safe, affordable healthcare, access to food, drinkable water, you name that issue. But at the same time, back even just two decades ago when I ran for office, you know, there were laws on the books that criminalized our existence. And in fact, when I ran for office, marriage equality was not law of the land. I could not be a member of the Boy Scouts. There were no hospital visitation rights. Adoption rights for LGBT parents was limited and also nonexistent in many states. You could not be a service member. That policy in place that was still in place was Don't Ask, Don't Tell. So a lot of those things now, fast forward, Joyce, have been addressed, but we also know that the pendulum swings backwards. And there's an adage and a saying, two steps forward, one step back. And that's why it is important that in this celebration of Pride Month that we talk about the issues with respect to how we uplift everyday individuals and understand that there's nuance to these issues. So yes, representation does matter, and we will transform everyday lives of everyday people on the key issues. But lived experiences also matter, and that's why we talk about living our authentic lives in these public positions.

And I will say to all of the listeners, which I would encourage you to go to the website. What is the website, Evan?

Thank you. It is victoryfund.org, victoryfund.org, on how you can help support an uplifting LGBT individuals wishing to answer that call for service, especially right now.

Yes, and I would suggest you go and make a donation. And please remember, just as I say to people when they say, "Oh, we should hire people with disabilities," I say, "Oh, but you already have. Yeah, they're working here. They have MS, depression, they're just not telling you." Well, you have family members, friends. You have many people that are from the LGBTQ+ community, you just don't know, because just like people with disabilities that have bipolar disorder, they are afraid. So if I were you, I would go make that donation. You know, I, I have that Bender Leadership Academy with high school students with disabilities. That we have to fight on the mental health side, the suicidal ideation, and it is worse right now. You've got to make a donation if you care. Don't just talk about it, do something about it. So Evan, let's hear about your current role, what it encompasses, and the Victory Fund. And the Victory Fund Institute. What are they like? What's your mission and how can people get involved?

Yeah, thank you, Joyce Bender. Um, our mission is very clear: to ensure LGBTQ+ representation in elected and appointed office. And so we ask people right now that our democracy requires us to participate. You know, oftentimes we know that politics is oftentimes viewed as a dirty word or very divisive, when the fact of the matter is our democracy is fragile and it does require us to put the time and attention into this as well too. Many may say, well, I'm not political, I don't like the division. Well, the fact of the matter is we need people to participate. We need those who care about the type of public services to contribute and serve. Otherwise, we leave it to a very small segment of the population to do so. So if you want to change the sea, change, be the change that you want to be, then we must lean in. So we provide those opportunities for those in the LGBT community to participate. And why this is uniquely distinct is if you look at the climate about the current climate with respect to LGBT people, I referenced this earlier. And a number of states it is criminal to exist, which is to say that there are laws on the books that criminalize the existence of members of the LGBT community, whether or not you are in states that define that of the legalities to be discriminated based on sexual orientation in business accommodations, in areas of housing or access to healthcare. We know that there even is a ban on trans gender members serving as service members. So when we think about these things in place, again, when we just think about the empathy that is required, you mentioned this earlier about the grace that is also required. Members of our community just want to be in loving, committed relationships. They want to be patriotic in serving our country. They want to have access to healthcare and education just like everyone else. This is what we're talking about here. And so if individuals wish to be involved and support our mission about ensuring representation in public office to provide those lived experiences, we believe that's important. And we believe that the visibility is important. So if one person can get elected and serve their communities with distinction, we are confident that it will help stop the bullying in our communities that we see.

Yes, my nephew is very, very successful neurologist in California. But, you know, he grew up a little, uh, about an hour from New— from, uh, Pittsburgh. And when he was in school, he didn't tell anyone, uh, but they knew or thought he was gay, which he is, but they got him and put him in a garbage can. So this is why I'm saying to all of you, we won't have change in the schools, in libraries where they're banning information, you know, books, anything about LGBTQ. I know there's a Supreme Court ruling we're waiting for on that, but you want to help You got to make a donation or volunteer, do something. Now, what I don't know, Evan, is what is the distinction with the Victory Fund Institute?

Yeah, thank you, Joyce. You've been so kind and generous in urging listeners and viewers alike to help contribute and put the resources to support. Uh, you should— we should hire you and put you on the payroll for our Victory family. Joyce Bender, you're a great advocate. But to the point in answering your question, the Victory Fund is a political organization that helps recruit and train candidates, to raise money for candidates, to make sure that they are successful in the elections. So channeling that to electoral success. The institute is that of the academy or the Association of Elected Officials, in which we help focus on the development skill sets. In other words, So you're an LGBT elected official, you get elected. Well, now what? Well, we have training programs in talking about how to demonstrate executive presence. What does governance look like? How to be authentic in your experiences. And, you know, this is uniquely distinct to members of the LGBT community. So Joyce Bender, in a number of states, it might be quite hostile to be openly LGBT because of those laws that I referenced earlier. And so what if you have someone in which they want to run for office in a state that might be hostile? And so we coach them on saying, well, here's how to be authentic in yourself, but here's how to also speak to these issues and understanding that it can be very challenging, very, very isolating to run for office because you're putting yourself for public scrutiny. And in an environment in which we are being attacked in real time, our rights are being dismantled as we speak.. It might not be as encouraging and easy for someone maybe who lives on a coastal community, for example, to, let's say, another state that might not have as many of those protections that exist.

So, Evan, I have a question. I know you've talked about this, but this climate, how has that impacted mental health issues for the LGBTQ community? LGBTQ+ community and, you know, leaders that you're talking about? You know, the example you just gave, you know, what do you do if you want to run for office? And, you know, what is happening on that front?

Well, let's talk about a few things with respect to elected officials, Joyce Bender. Think about this. I mean, just this past week, as we're speaking now, the assassination of public servants in Minnesota that continue what we refer to as doxxing, or the significant harm of being targeted, given the vitriol in our public discourse right now. Members being targeted and threatened on social media or at their homes. And you think about all of that. What loving parent, what individual would want to subject their families to this type of public scrutiny, knowing that the compensation is almost little to nothing and it's challenging and it's quite divisive in this period of time. And so given all of those things, it's no wonder why so many people don't want to run because of the significant harm that we've seen just this past week. And so one of those things that we are working on right now with the Victory Institute is a partnership of a pilot to provide mental health and counseling for so many that are serving in these capacities, which is really important for us to think about in this period of time. So that's what we're doing in real time to make sure that we provide those services to those that are serving in public because, you know, we project, especially in the public realm, Joyce Bender, that everything's fine. You know, I think there is a misnomer, which is in public, in the public realm and space, we put our best face forward. But what you see is not always the truth of authenticity because we know that there's great pain in serving, but yet we are to be expected when the cameras are on to be our best and to be our finest. But it would be disingenuous to say that this does not also have a negative impact to the psyche and to the mental health of our public servants as well. And so that's where we hope to create opportunities for this camaraderie and this gathering and also a safe space for many of our public officials to help ensure that they serve with distinction and great capability.

Yes, and my heart goes out to those families that lost their parents. I mean, how horrifying. And same thing, our prayers are with the other family. Well, Evan, I know that you're limited on the time that you can be with us today. But what a pleasure it was to have you on. Before you go, I have to know two things. One, who is your role model? And then what message do you have for our listeners?

Thank you, Joyce Bender. It was a pleasure to be with you. And again, the incredible parallels, the uncanny parallels within our respective communities and supporting one another. So thank you very much. It is mutual. Um, your question about role models. A role model in our LGBTQ+ community of elected officials is that no other than Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to serve in the state of California as a San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Unfortunately, in his time, he was assassinated, uh, and we recognized him as an icon in our history books in the United States. There was a United Postal Service stamp that was in his honor, as well as a naval ship in his honor. So we continue his legacy. His legacy is alive and well of helping to ensure that we shatter any type of barriers that exist for public service. So if anyone is interested in running for public office, whether or not you're a member of the LGBT community or not, please visit thevictoryfund.org. We'd be delighted to help have you participate in our public discourse.

Thank you. And how about for our listeners? I know you're not gonna say it, so I will. Victoryfund.org, right? Is that right?

That is right. So again, one more time, if those who might be interested and have the capacity to continue our work, please visit www.victoryfund.org and help support and fund our work.

That means make a donation. I'll say it for him. I'll say it. And also, Evan, when I'm in D.C. the next time, I want to go out with you. You can't hire me, but I want to go out with you. Listen, what I say to you, uh, you are a great man of great courage and stature, and we are behind you 100%, Mr. Lowe. 100%. And thank you. I know how busy you are, but thank you for being on with us today.

Thank you. Good to see you. Take care, Joyce. See you soon.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye. Oh, and I see I have my Rachel Maddow impersonator. It's time for Mathis on the Mic, one of my favorite things I look forward to. Wouldn't it be great Jennifer, if, um, and I'm hoping that— hope this day will come where we're just talking about, oh, here's research and great things happening. But oh my God, you know what he just mentioned about those two, uh, legislators, husband and wife, being going right to their house, assassinating them. And if I'm right, he had a list of other people. And then, of course, he did also wound two other people, and hopefully they will, you know, recover. But guess what, folks? If they recover, please keep in mind there's this thing called post-traumatic stress syndrome, and they will have to live with a terrible, terrible thing. That's why when Evan was saying about take a stand, make a stand, Everything Jennifer tells you today, it can no longer— and I hope it hasn't been— but it can no longer just be, "Oh good, I'm learning this." No, it has to be, "I'm learning this and I'm going to do something about it." So with that, Jennifer, what news do you have for us this weekend? I know there's a lot, but what are you going to talk about?

Yeah, so much going on. So I usually try to keep it to one thing, but I want to try to cover two things. Today. I'll be quick about it, but, um, the first thing is I just wanted to provide an update on what I talked about last week, and that was that the Department of Energy had issued these things called direct final rules, and two of them impacted the rights of people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a non-discrimination law. And this direct final rule mechanism is, uh, it's supposed to be a mechanism for regulations that are non-controversial, that are, um, very simple technical fixes that nobody would dispute, nobody would have an issue with. And so there is not the usual notice and comment process where they take input from the public and then respond to all the public comments and take that into account in issuing a final rule. This is something where they just issue the rule, and they did take public comment, but only for purposes of seeing if there's significant adverse comments, because they're not supposed to do a direct final rule if there's significant adverse comment. So What this rule did, or the primary one that I'm gonna— that I talked about last week, what it did was eliminate the standards for new construction accessibility for people with disabilities. That's a huge deal. That is upending almost 50 years of law requiring that new, newly constructed facilities constructed after the standards after, uh, people were on notice that they had to comply with Section 504 and that there were standards for new construction that going forward they had to make new facilities accessible to people with disabilities according to certain standards. And so this has been the law for many, many years, and And, um, as I talked about last week, there are about 80 different agencies that have the same standards in their 504 regulations. And, um, this is something that Congress basically approved, um, because they were very involved in creating the regulations that initially set forth those standards. And they went back and amended the law several times knowing about those standards. Never took them out. So after all of these years, for the Department of Energy to issue a rule using a process that's supposed to be no big deal, nothing to see here, this is not something that anybody would have any concern about or any dispute about, and to take away critical, critical rights for people with disabilities, um, in, in this kind of way is really, it was very, very disturbing. And so the community organized. I think last week we talked about it, sent people to DREDF's website to, uh, uh, issue to, to, to learn how to file comments on this regulation. And so, uh, thank you to everybody who did submit comments. There were 20,700 comments that were submitted on this rule, which is great. Um, that is a great showing from the disability community. I think that sends a really important message to the Department of Energy, to the federal government, that this is not nothing to see here. If you got 20,700 comments saying don't submit, don't finalize this rule. And I think that nearly all of them said, don't finalize this rule. This is a problem that clearly is not something that is no big deal, technical, tiny little fix that nobody would ever have an issue with. So we will see what happens. But power of advocacy, very important. And so thank you again to everybody that, that commented. Second thing I wanted to update people on is just this budget bill that we have also talked about in recent news segments, this budget reconciliation bill that impacts many things, including Medicaid, which is a lifeline for people with disabilities. And as we had talked about, The House of Representatives had recently passed this monstrosity of a budget reconciliation bill that would make more than $800 billion— I don't mean million, I mean billion— dollars of cuts to the Medicaid program and result in millions and millions of Americans losing their Medicaid coverage, also millions more losing their coverage under the Affordable Care Act. And that bill has gone over to the Senate. What I wanted to update the listeners on is that yesterday the Senate issued their part of the language of their version of the bill. It is the— what is called the finance language from the Finance Committee. And the significance of that is the provisions about Medicaid are in that part of the bill. So yesterday, the Senate released their draft of the Medicaid language in this budget reconciliation bill, and it is as bad and actually worse than the language in the bill the House passed. It would make the same types of cuts. It would be extremely extraordinary, draconian, resulting in millions and millions of people losing Medicaid coverage. It is even worse in a few respects. For example, the House bill had these Medicaid work requirements where you are penalized, you're going to lose your coverage or not get it in the first place under Medicaid if you are not spending 80 hours a month either working at a job or engaging in community service or educational activities with no understanding of the supports that people might need to do that, with no promise of help for people to do that, with exemptions, but exemptions that don't work for people because they are too complicated. We know from past experience, too complicated for people to navigate. Lots of paperwork, basically. So the result is we know from past experience with states that did Medicaid work requirements— I've talked about this before— that they end up booting off Many, many people with disabilities from Medicaid coverage, and of course, many people get their supported employment services through Medicaid and the health services they need to work through Medicaid. It makes it harder rather than easier for people to work if you take away their Medicaid coverage. And these Medicaid work requirements in the past, they did not increase work. They only made people lose coverage. So the Senate bill makes it even worse with respect to work requirements. The House bill, one of the things they exempted was parents of minor children. Um, the Senate bill only exempts parents of, uh, children 14 and under. Um, so it does not exempt parents of older children. So That is one way that the Senate extended the work requirements even further under the Medicaid program than the House bill did. And the Senate also blocked Medicaid coverage for refugees and people granted asylum, which is not something the House bill did. So the Senate has made it even worse at this point. It is critically important important for people to call your senators and to try to visit your senators. Try to visit them at home too and contact both the home office as well as the D.C. office to tell them how bad this bill is for people with disabilities and how upset everybody will be if so many people with disabilities lose their Medicaid coverage that they need to survive, that they need not just to get healthcare, but that they need to live in the community.

So that's the news. I have a couple questions. I was listening to the news and they were saying that it's possible this will not be passed easily and that, uh, it would be shocking if it was on the desk of the president before the break. So that's my first question. Do you think that's true?

And my second— Yeah.

Go ahead. Should I take that first? Okay.

Okay.

Go ahead. Take that first.

So, yeah, that's a great question. And yes, the president has said, and he is putting a lot of pressure on Congress to get this bill to his desk by July 4th. It seems challenging for that to happen. I don't know is the bottom line. I don't know. Nobody can predict whether that will happen or not. There are some senators who are voicing some concerns on the Republican side, which is the side that has primarily voted for these, these changes in the House. So there is, I think, some greater concern. However, um, seeing even worse language come out from the Senate side than on the House side suggests that, you know, there, there's a lot of concern on the Senate side as well. Um, we should be concerned about what is happening on the Senate side, and I think we can't take it for granted. We have to assume the worst, we have to assume that this bill is on track to get passed by July 4th. I don't know that that will happen. Um, it is unclear, but I think we have to assume— we know in any event this bill is moving very fast, so it is important to act quickly and contact your senators quickly.

That was my next question. How the heck do we stop this from happening?

Yeah, so I mean, right now the bill is in the Senate, and so it's most important for people to reach out to their senators. I think it is also good for people to continue reaching out to their members in the House as well, to their representatives in the House. But because it's gonna have to get ultimately voted on by both houses. It's gonna have to get reconciled and voted on, but it is most important to contact senators and tell them, I think, to the extent you have stories, to the extent that you can talk about how Medicaid impacts you, impacts a loved one, impacts a family member, impacts a friend, impacts a neighbor, impacts a teacher, impacts people that you know, it is important to give those stories. They're important for offices to hear. They do make a difference. When we've been able to win battles, it has been, I think, because of those human stories, because of elected officials not wanting to be responsible for destroying people's lives. And that is very much what this bill would do if it was passed in the current form in either the House or the Senate. So it's important to reach out and talk to those offices. And I have heard that it is important that they hear from folks in their home offices and not just in Washington, D.C. I think it's useful to reach out to both.

And I would say once again, you got to do something about this. This is serious. You know, don't let it be that that happens to you and then you're saying, oh, I wish I had done something. You can do something. You've got to call your senators. You guys, as Jennifer said, right here in Pittsburgh, we've called the Pittsburgh offices for both. You don't just need to go to Washington, D.C., but, you know, I only wish, Jennifer, we could get some massive national email campaign, you know, but for everyone listening, hey, you listened before, you listened on this last thing, it makes a difference. You get everyone you know, you can be and make good trouble advocate. Go to your senator, send emails, get your neighbors to do whatever it takes, but you've got to take action. And Jennifer, thank you so much for what you're doing. And I don't know how many times I have been complimented since you've been on here. Keeping news alive, because sadly it's sometimes not alive and accurate. So thank you so much, and we will look forward to talking to you next week, and we will all be doing what you ask.

All right, thank you.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you. Bye-bye. Well, for the last part of our show today, We have actually one of my own employees. She is a superstar. She works in, uh, talent programs. And just this morning— I know most of my listeners know who Maria Towne is as the CEO of AAPD and part of the LGBTQ+ community— she came to Pittsburgh We had a Bender Leadership Academy Pride event, and she was our speaker. But guess what? So was Colby Cain, my employee, and she just rocked it. So, Colby, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Joyce, for having me. I really appreciate it, and thank you so much for that wonderful introduction.

Well, I thought first Joyce Bender, why don't you tell everyone what you do here at Bender? And then I know you led a club at Penn State, PAWS, and I want you to talk about that and how that all happened. But what do you do here?

So I am on the talent acquisition team. I started as an intern back in the beginning of October of 2024. Um, whenever I was a senior at Penn State, uh, Fayette, the Eberly campus, I started my internship here in the same, uh, place I'm working now, Talent Acquisition. I started doing, uh, our entry-level, uh, interviews just to get basic information from candidates. As I've been here longer, I've been learning so much more about interviews and networking and creating connections with candidates. Right now. I'm currently training to be a senior-level recruiter. I've been shadowing our end-stage interviews, trying to learn as much as I can from our amazing team here.

Well, that is great, and we all love you on this team, um, but you are a person with a disability and also represent the LGBTQ community, and I know you led a club at Penn State Fayette the Eberly campus. So how about sharing that with our listeners, what you did?

Yes, of course. So the club was called PAWS. It's an acronym for Pride Alliance Working with Students. It was a Penn State club. I did not create it myself. It was created by a student named Brandon Demchak a few years before I ever went to Penn State. But sadly, at Penn State Fayette, it is in a very a very rural town, so there are not many LGBTQ members. He had actually graduated and the club had went inactive. So once I started my freshman year, I was looking at the board of all of the options for clubs and I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. And someone mentioned to me that they used to have a club called PAWS that was supposed to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community, create conversations, and make the space more inclusive at our campus. So my best friend and I decided that along with 4 other students and one of our advisors, we decided to bring the club back. And it was a huge, huge decision for me for my freshman year. I had never done clubs before. I had never done any leadership before. But I knew how important it was to have that representation on our campus. And I didn't see anyone else that was wanting to take the position, so I decided then and there that I wanted to do it. And I continued through 2 and a half years up until my senior year at Penn State Fayette because I decided on going to my internship here at Bender, so I spent more time doing that. But I'm so grateful for my time with PAWS. It taught me so, so much that I couldn't even begin to explain all of the experience I've had with people and my teachers, my professors, my students to create the conversations and the events that we did. It was so amazing, especially being from such a small campus. We might have only been a small group, but we definitely were mighty.

Well, you were, and here's that example to other young people listening to Colby of be the change. Here's the example. You know, she went back and she, you know, rejuvenated it and got it going. One person. I always say one person, one person can make a difference. When I heard Colby speak and she said that, you know, know that even though they were small, that this just showed people they don't have to be alone, I thought, wow. How powerful is that and how true that is? Proud of you there, Colby. And you are, you are a civil rights leader, and I wanted to know, I think something impacted you in your very young life, but why are civil rights so important to you?

So there are many different reasons why civil rights are super important to me. Myself growing up, I have always been taught, especially by my mom, that everyone deserves empathy, love, and kindness. And I've always tried to go throughout my life like that. Before I even knew I was a part of the LGBTQ community, I always knew that I was a very, very strong ally. I can even tell you I remember the exact moment I found out when gay marriage was legalized. I will forever remember that moment. It's in my brain. It's a very special time. But as I grew up, I had my own experiences. In high school, I was sadly, sadly outed by my best friends, the two people I thought were the closest to me. But sadly, they decided to take my personal information and share it with the world without my knowledge or even my consent. Terrible.

That is so terrible. I know that story, and every time you talk about it, I think, why would someone do that? Well, I'm sure that was hard for you.

I, I asked myself the same thing for a very, very long time, especially since, uh, one of my friends, even now, um, well, I guess old friend, they're part of the LGBTQ community as well. So it makes me very sad that It might have just been coming from maybe a point of sadness or a point of loneliness. And like you said earlier, it's super important for people not to feel lonely. So, yeah, but also another thing that was very, very important to me was whenever I was at Penn State, I was given the opportunity to have a conversation with Dr. Bernice King, Martin Luther King's youngest daughter. Out of the 20 campuses, 19 Commonwealth and 1 University Park, 12 students were selected to speak with her, and we were able to have a Zoom call, listen to her speak about her experiences, her life, her dad, everything that I could even possibly imagine. It was, it was wonderful, and that is probably one of the things that stick out the most to me. My college experience because I'm just so grateful to have that opportunity.

Wow, what an opportunity that was. Yes, I so admire him and I use his quotes frequently, uh, many of his quotes. But I'm sure as a young, young girl, that did really have an impact on you. But you know what, it was in you. It was in you, Colby. You just needed someone to let it out, and you know, here you are talking about this to everyone. Um, one thing I did want to ask you, you went through something terrible there. Do you have any advice for young, uh, people from the LGBTQ+ community in school, high school, who are being brutally bullied? Do you have any advice for them?

My advice is that you are not alone. It might feel like you are in this moment, but I can promise you, even if it is only your future self looking back at you and being so proud that you have come so far, you have someone in your corner. Even if it's just me and I am all the way across the world, just know you have people in your corner and you have people that support you. Coming from a small town myself, I can understand how isolating it can feel, or even from family that some don't accept you. And that's okay because you can create your own family. You can create your own story and you are loved, you are accepted, and you are unique.

Yes. And sometimes even with epilepsy, which I, you know, live with epilepsy, but I'll meet someone with epilepsy and they're like, "Oh my God, I've met someone else." And I tell them there are a lot of people, it's just they don't want to because of the stigma attached. They just don't want to say they live with epilepsy. And when we would have events where we brought all these young children together who all live with epilepsy, oh, I mean, It was pure joy, pure joy, because, oh, here's someone else I know that lives with epilepsy. It's the same thing. It is really very similar. But when you go through it, you do feel like it's only you. You do the whole world. You think it's only you. Did that happen to you in high school? Was that in high school?

It was my freshman year of high school, actually. I was 14 at the time.

Even worse. Oh my goodness.

So I was very young, but I have grown so much and I have done so much, and I know that there is so, so much more in front of me. Um, and I'm so grateful to be a part of your crusade, Joyce. Thank you so much for everything you do.

Well, here's what I have to say. You're on an international radio show. They're not.

Nope.

That is what I say. I'm very proud to say, look at you. Look at you, you know, you are speaking at events with the CEO of AAPD, and she is so well known, and you are making it happen. So whatever they did, it made you stronger because you are a strong person. That means so much.

Thank you.

Well, I mean it, and you know it. So why did you choose Bender? What— why did you want to work here?

I found Bender on Indeed on the whim, but as soon as I spoke with one of our people here, Jill, who has been on the radio before, as well as Gerald, who has also been on the radio show, I knew once I heard them talk about their stories and the mission of Bender and how passionate you all are with what you do, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it and actually be a part of something that does good. My commute is a little long compared to other people, but I would do it in a heartbeat every day if I could, because coming into the office to see you all genuinely makes my week. And being able to sit around a table and just have productive conversations and even just listen to all of your ideas, it just, it makes me so excited for the future and so excited to what we're going to do.

And we have a lot of openings right now.

We do.

A lot that Colby is working on in healthcare. For example, we had a lot of opportunities for nurses living with disabilities who would like to work remote. I mean, we really have a lot of healthcare, uh, openings. And you can go to benderconsult.com and check that out. And if you are seeking employment, uh, apply your resume there. And Colby, even— aren't you surprised how, how much is going on?

Yes, so much is going on, especially for the remote nurses positions. I think that's so amazing for nurses, especially after everything that happened with COVID and especially with mental health, that the environment of being on those COVID wards was so much for so many people. And I'm so happy that nurses are given the opportunity to continue with their work but not have to be in the same work conditions if they don't want to be.

Well, Colby, thank you so much for being with us today on the show.

Thank you for having me.

Of course. And this is Miss Colby Cain, C-O-L-B-Y C-A-I-N, Colby Cain. I would ask all of you listeners, I know you know so many other people going through different issues. Share this, share this show. Help someone up, help them to not feel alone. Share this show. And with that, you know, we have a quote at the end of every show, and I almost wanted to state this earlier only because of Evan Low telling us how much he loved, uh, Harvey Milk. But here it is. The quote is, "Hope will never be silent," said Harvey Milk. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Don't go away next week. Be here. Come back. And in the words of Mary Brocker, remember, choose joy. We will talk to you all next week.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America variety channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.