Meet the young L.A. activist fighting for LGBTQ+ and AAPI people's rights

As a mixed-race lesbian, 17-year-old Violet C. regularly uses her voice as an artist, activist, and filmmaker to combat hate and discrimination, as well as encourage others to practice self-love and embrace their own identities.

“I’ve always really loved storytelling,” the Los Angeles-based Violet says. “When I discovered I was queer at a very young age, the YouTube film community was a huge kind of anchor for me, which inspired me to go more into film. But I also think just generally, I’ve always had a love of movies.”

She adds that her interest in film began with outings with her family.

“When you love something, you want to contribute to it,” she explains. “And I think that also kind of applies to the whole queer community. … I think that the idea that anybody can make something and it can be seen by so many people is so beautiful.”

Violet’s journey as an activist has already led her to some great opportunities – including being an ambassador for the Asian American and Pacific Islander organization Make Noise Today, president of her school’s AAPI club, a feminist force within her Girl Scout Troop, and a content creator with the L.A.-based organization GetLit!.

If that weren’t enough, Violet was recently selected to be an ambassador for the Youth Voices program at It Gets Better, an international nonprofit dedicated to uplifting, empowering, and connecting LGBTQ+ youth.

Violet is equally passionate about advocating for and educating others about AAPI communities.

“When I moved to the art school that I’m currently at, I left like a very predominantly Asian community. And obviously it was great being part of a more diverse community, but at the same time, I definitely was feeling like a lot of my identity as a Chinese American was being neglected,” she says. “So, I joined my local AAPI club [and] started planning things like Lunar New Year’s at my school.”

“I’m specifically Hakka, or Chinese Jamaican,” explains Violet, who is also part Irish American. “I’m not ethnically Jamaican, but there’s a large group of Chinese people who’ve lived in Jamaica for generations. My dad’s an immigrant from Jamaica. … The Asian community is so diverse, but it’s so underrepresented.”

Through her work with Make Noise Today, she says, “I wanted to share stories of people who weren’t just from the mainland or who weren’t just from Asia, and instead were affected by things like diaspora.”

Outside of activism and advocacy work, Violet says she enjoys writing screenplays (especially horror), playing electric bass and guitar, and hanging out with her cat, Pepe.

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.