Joshua is a Kentucky born LGBTQ+ rights advocate and educator. 

Joshua’s first forays into activism began with his work in an online support group as a teen in the late
90s, prior to being open about his own identity. In this role, he worked to help prevent and mitigate
mental health crises through an online community. Joshua began his professional career as an early
childhood educator and has allowed his passions for educating and advocating for queer rights to guide
him. While growing up in the Southeast, Joshua has seen the desperate need for activism to support the
LGBTQ+ community, especially amongst young children.  

In 2018, Joshua founded a non-profit organization called Gender Education Network, dedicated to
building safe communities for transgender children 12 and under. Since 2018, his organization has
reached out to more than 200 parents of transgender youth from every state in the country and 6
foreign countries. Locally, the group's monthly meet-ups have helped over 50 families to make
connections and learn that their transgender children are not alone and that they are supported. 
In addition to the direct services offered to families with transgender children, GEN also provides
outreach to the broader community through educational opportunities for community members and
Drag Story Hour. Their Drag Story Hour programs have gained national acclaim as the prime example of
promoting literacy through diverse representation in literature. Joshua is also a board member of the
national chapter of Drag Story Hour.

This year, Joshua also helped organize and run the first pride event in his home region. 
This event drew a great deal of controversy as the county is largely conservative. Despite the
controversy, the event went spectacularly and many members of the community came out to celebrate
their identities in a home they never dreamed would accept them for who they are.

Joshua is also a homeschool advocate who fights for accurate historical representations and inclusive
histories that highlight the whole of a person. For several years, he has turned this passion into a series
of online classes for students of all ages, focused on LGBTQ+ historical figures and the history of the
LGBTQ+ rights movement in the U.S. He also has given a series of online lectures to 3000+
homeschooling parents on the importance of inclusive histories and the best ways to be a good ally to

the LGBTQ+ community. Lastly, Joshua has published a children's picture book (2022) that celebrates and
affirms all transgender kids with compassionate and gentle dialogue to inspire honest conversations and
positive change.