I feel that as a New Mexican and an advocate, I have a duty to make my home state a better and safer place for sexuality.

Ellie is a member of the campus organizing team.

My name is Ellie and I am a 19-year-old, Unitarian, educator, survivor, advocate, and queer woman. I was born, raised, and continue to thrive in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a student of Community Health Education and Women’s Studies at the University of New Mexico. My home state is consistently ranked as the worst or one of the worst in terms of teen pregnancy, STI prevalence, rates of abortion, and prevalence of rapes per capita. I feel that as a New Mexican and an advocate, I have a duty to make my home state a better and safer place for sexuality.

I began advocating for social justice when I was 15, when I was first exposed to an anti-racism and anti-oppression training hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Association in New Orleans. I continued to advocate for social justice, with sexuality issues in mind, and eventually began volunteering at the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico in the fall of 2010. Now, I look forward to eventually acting as an educator and not a student.

Ultimately, I want my and future generations to be able to express themselves as sexual beings in a safe and affirming environment. I believe this environment can be easily created, simply by educating youth about sexual health and rights. I think it is important for youth to advocate for their sexual health and rights because these are our rights, and in this realm we’re sorely lacking our sexual freedoms.