Hello whoever-is-reading-this-right-now!
My name is Lilith. I’m a queer teenager in Salem, Oregon. I also interned with Rainbow Youth! You probably already know that, though…
If you can’t read this whole thing, here’s the basics: I represent the Mother of Demons, went to school for only five years, have eaten chemicals, know Morse code, got accepted into a private art high school that I never attended, and went on a 8-day long road trip.
Hopefully you’re a little more interested now.
For those of you who don’t know, my name is from Jewish mythology (and a few others), and represents the first woman, Lilith, who was forced to become the Queen of Hell—and Mother of Demons—by God after refusing to submit to Adam. She wanted equality. She’s a feminist icon, and I love her for that.
My upbringing was a bit atypical; I was homeschooled most of my early years. I loved it. It instilled in me a deep desire to learn that I’ve brought with me to high school. In one of my favorite classes, chemistry, someone accidentally spritzed some copper chloride into my mouth. Don’t worry, though, I’m still here. No harm, no foul. (Although I do still consume dihydrogen monoxide…).
And yes, if you couldn’t tell already, I’m not only neurodivergent and hella queer, but also such a nerd. I love reading, puzzles, board games, writing, identifying plants, learning Morse code, memorizing a hundred digits of Pi, signing, making up my own languages, and trying way too hard at school. My friends think I’m insane for the number of college-level classes I take. Don’t tell them that I’m going to college.
One characteristic of my childhood most people (hopefully) can’t guess just by looking at me is that I lived in Florida for 13 years. Yes, there are alligators everywhere. Like, everywhere. Like the pool, and the lake in your apartment complex, and that river you were thinking about maybe swimming in. Don’t go in the water unless you’re wanting a scaly friend.
It was also pretty homophobic there. My family decided to move to Oregon largely due to policies being passed against the queer community. I had gotten accepted into an art school in Florida, but…that’s a bit of a commute, so I just go to school in Salem. We decided to travel the more than 3,000 miles by car, which took eight days. Honestly, I love road trips, and I’m used to 5-day long road trips (one of which we started 12 hours after making the plan), so it wasn’t too bad.
Oregon is great. I mean, I don’t know that Salem should count as a city (don’t get me started), but it’s much more supportive than Florida ever was—in terms of the LGBTQ+ community, but also people, in general. That feeling of support, or maybe just lack of downright hostility, has allowed me to truly get involved with my community, and I love it. I first figured out I was queer in middle school, but never felt safe enough to tell many people other than my immediate family. How did I figure out I was queer? By writing a self-assigned report on LGBTQ terms and recognizing myself in the definitions. (Again, nerd.) I currently identify as sapphic, asexual, on the aromantic spectrum, polyamorous, and a tad genderqueer. I also started dating my girlfriend at a Pride festival, during pride month, on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. An excellent plan on my part, if you ask me.
To any queer kids reading this: life just keeps getting better. You get to decide more and more about how to live your life, and get more of a role in society, and can make more of an impact. To any queer adults reading this: how are y’all that cool?? Tell me your secrets.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day.
Lilith (she/they) – Former Rainbow Youth Intern
