Student Advocate Spotlight: Stella Keating

Stella Keating is a Tacoma Public Schools student advocate, and the first transgender teen to ever testify to the U.S. Senate.

A sixteen-year-old high school sophomore, Stella is an aspiring politician who helped launch The GenderCool Project—an awareness campaign turned movement that spotlights positive stories of the accomplishments of transgender and non-binary youth.

This week, Stella provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the Equality Act. She was one of five people invited to speak, and the only student. Stella is also the first transgender teen to ever testify to the US Senate. Her words were powerful, brave, and solutions-focused. We encourage you to join us in congratulating her for such outstanding leadership! You can watch the hearing (see 1:49:49) or read her testimony.

I represent America’s future. We are the next generation of small business owners. Software engineers. Scientists. Teachers. Nurses. ….. Presidents. And for my generation to achieve all that we will, we just need to be able to live our lives.

Stella Keating