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> Ryan Bowker
 Courage in the Face of Discrimination
RYAN BOWKER, 20, grew up on a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
reservation in South Dakota and was raised by his grandfather. At age nine, Ryan came out to his sisters and to his homophobic community at age twelve. His grandfather shunned him and put him into counseling "to make him straight." At the age of 15, Ryan began being shuttled between foster and group homes. Determined to persevere, he graduated a year and a half early from high school and moved to Rapid City, where he obtained a nursing certificate. But even at the nursing home where he works, he still experiences homophobia, mainly because of his appearance. He volunteers at the local LGBTQ center and conducts outreach to Native American reservations and schools in an effort to educate youth about the traditional cultural ways, which accepted and honored "Two Spirit" people. His goal is to become a Registered Nurse and return to his reservation to help do HIV prevention and counseling, hoping this program will be replicated in reservations across the country.
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