Hey everybody!
Let’s get to know Sarah Hustead – who is not only a hardworking ODU student, but someone who can scale tall buildings and hang out rooftops!
In addition, Sarah is also our favorite contributor and intern!
We are so happy to feature Sarah’s voice and many talents that are making positive contributions to our community. Let’s go!
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Jacksonville, NC and moved around a lot from there.
How long have you lived in Hampton Roads?
We settled in Hampton Roads when I was in 3rd grade and I’ve been here ever since.
What do you do for money/living?
I work as a receptionist/social media marketing person, I am a full-time student at ODU and I’m an intern for OutWire757 🙂
How long have you been ‘out’ (if applicable) and who was the hardest person to tell?
I’ve been out since October 11th, 2016. The hardest people to tell was my Church community at the time. I knew how most of them felt and I knew what happened to other people who came out at the Church before me, so I was definitely nervous.
Who is your LGBTQ hero and why?
My heroes are everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community. I couldn’t be me without their bravery to live authentically. I couldn’t be me without their will to live on even when they didn’t feel safe to come out. I couldn’t have calmed the storms inside my mind and heart if it wasn’t for the girl who told me she liked girls in the 9th grade, because I didn’t know that was a thing we could do. I couldn’t have come out not once, but twice if my friends Bex and Ralph didn’t tell me they use them/them pronouns. I couldn’t be who I am, I couldn’t be this happy in my skin, I wouldn’t be able to find true love without the people who walked this life long before I was born.
What is the most memorable LGBTQ moment of your life?
I think it’s when I came out to my dad. I texted him that I was gay and he basically just said, “Yeah, and the sky is blue” and we moved on like nothing had changed. Because the moment that we “come out”, we are not “deciding” to be gay in that moment. We are choosing to live our truth, to follow our hearts. And we’re still the same person, because nothing really changed.
On what do you insist upon daily?
Justice and equality. I feel like I’ve been an activist for a lot of my life, but I didn’t really start hitting the pavement until Mike Brown was murdered by the police. It’s really important for me to make changes in my community by being involved with my ODU LGBTQIA+ community and also taking the street when it is necessary.
What was your last social media post?
My last social media post was about ODU’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance (previously ODU Out!).
If you could give your 16 year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Start dating girls. It’s so fun, they’re so pretty and smell much better than the boy you tried to date for all of three days.
Do you have any suggestions for the local leaders of Hampton Roads’ LGBTQ organizations?
- Make your advertisements and promotional material more trans-inclusive. Highlight non-binary lives. Uplift black and brown LGBTQIA+ folks.
- Do better at representing the diversity of this community, please.
- Also, Rainbow Cactus needs gender neutral bathrooms.
What is the best aspect of the Hampton Roads LGBTQ community?
It is our diversity. We have so many amazing, beautiful people who are doing so many great things. This community has so much talent and vibrancy that the world deserves to see.
Name one thing you would change about the Hampton Roads LGBTQ community?
I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
Except for that whole Gays for Trump thing. Maybe I would change that.
What LGBTQ stereotype annoys you the most?
Probably this unspoken thing that non-binary people need to “dress” a certain way to “look” non-binary.
Non-binary people are non-binary people simply because they are. They don’t need to do anything to fit your weird standards of what gender, no gender, and everything in between look like.
What non-LGBTQ issue do you feel most passionate about?
I’m passionate about a lot of things, but there are a lot of layers to everything. So, being passionate about racial justice means that I also care and fight for the black LGBTQIA+ community. From racial justice to environmental justice to LGBTQIA+ issues– all of these things intersect with one another.
We will never have true liberation if we don’t include every living thing.
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
I wish that I was better with words. I feel like I’m just not a natural writer and practicing is hard.
What quality do you most admire in a person?
A genuine energy. Just a genuine, good person. Who cares about people because they care about people, not because they want something out of a person.
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
A 60 degree, sunny day.
What is your favorite curse word?
Shit
Why Hampton Roads?
It’s where I ended up. It’s where my chosen family and blood family is. It’s where I learned how to be me.
I think it also just has a little bit of everything. The ocean, the city and everything in between.
Look for more articles and commentary from Sarah in OutWire757 and OutLife757!
If you are interested in being featured in InQueeries or if you want to become a contributor to OutWire757, please drop us a note at editor@outwire757.com, we would love to hear from you!
