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> Captain Young
 Courage in the Face of Discrimination
Growing up the eldest of ten children to a drug-addicted mother and a father in jail,
Captain Young of Sacramento never experienced a true childhood. Raised in poverty by
his grandmother, by the age of 14, Captain had already served six months in a juvenile
detention facility before being released into a series of foster homes. At home and in
foster care, Captain was questioned about why he wore men’s clothes. Tolerated as a
lesbian, he was ostracized as a transgender by one of the few aunts with whom he was
close. She cut him off completely, telling the 14-year old he was going to hell.
Displaying uncommon courage for a high school student, Captain joined the boy’s
football team and fought for accommodations under Title 9. Facing ridicule, he suffered
daily pranks and blind-side tackles from his own teammates. Emboldened by his Title 9
success and dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT youth in foster care, Captain is a
dedicated advocate. His work ranges from passing legislation to protect the civil rights
of LGBT youth in foster care with the California Youth Connection to serving as a youth
trainer in the foster care system for the National Center for Lesbian Rights to coaching
youth, lawyers, judges, social workers and other service providers on LGBT sensitivity
as a member of the Out of Home Youth Advocacy Coalition. He is a key member of the
Karen Bass Committee on Foster Care Reform and is active with the San Francisco
Children with Incarcerated Parents Partnership. A dedicated older brother, he is
committed to making the world a better place for his nine siblings. Captain would like to
become a writer, exposing the challenges and solutions for African-American youth in
poverty, he “wants to be remembered not for who I am, but for the work I do that others
can continue.”
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