Raelee Sweet was born to be an activist — and is now mentoring future LGBTQ+ leaders

Raelee Sweet was an activist before they even knew what the word meant.

“I was an activist from birth. I started a petition in the second grade to release the elephants from the zoo. I ran around yelling ‘Recycle!’ at people,” they recall with a laugh. “I was a little obnoxious, but … I’m very passionate.”

Sweet was in elementary school when the anti-marriage equality initiative known as Proposition 8 was introduced in California in 2008. They say this really kick-started their passion for fighting for fairness and equality, especially for LGBTQ+ people.

“I was in a conservative town, but my family was very open-minded and liberal,” Sweet says. “There were all these signs and protesters around saying ‘Yes on 8,’ which would take away gay marriage, but my family had a ‘No on 8’ sign in their window.”

After their parents explained what Prop. 8 was all about, it “instantly sparked a flame in me where I was like, I have to do something,” Sweet continues. “I have to help.”

Eventually, Sweet says they realized they were also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and before becoming involved with It Gets Better in 2020, they served as a camp counselor at Brave Trails, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth leadership.

Raelee Sweet (center, in red) poses with youth ambassadors from It Gets Better's Youth Voices program.courtesy It Gets Better

“Brave Trails is really what made me realize that this is what I wanted to do as a career,” they say. “We had the opportunity to create [and lead] our own workshops. I love leading; I love being able to create. My parents are teachers, so I also love teaching.”

In addition to their work with Brave Trails, Sweet was the president of their high school GSA and went on to study communications at San Francisco State. They acknowledge their own privilege in growing up with a supportive family and say they want to pay that forward through education and advocacy.

At It Gets Better, a nonprofit with a mission to empower LGBTQ+ youth, Sweet is assistant manager of education, overseeing the Youth Voices program, through which they’ve supported the growth of 30 young LGBTQ+ storytellers and activists. Each year, a handful of young people are selected to be ambassadors for the program.

“It’s a paid position for them,” says Sweet. “It’s really awesome to see queer people from all around who maybe have never gotten to hang out with other queer people, especially their age.”

Sweet says next they plan to pursue a master’s degree in social justice, equity, and education with a focus on youth development. But they also stress the importance of taking breaks and practicing self-care to avoid activism fatigue.

“I’m very emotional. I’m very sensitive, so the news really weighs me down. … When I’m away from work, I really take a step away mentally, physically. I’m focused on myself, my dogs, my partner. That’s my big hobby right now — crochet and sewing.”

This article is part of The Advocate's July/Aug 2025 issue, on newsstands now. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.