2024 Award Recipient
ZoeySchwartz
Project IUY (I Understand You)
Project IUY (I Understand You)
When Zoey came out as queer just before their freshman year of high school, the words they wished to hear more than any others were: “I understand you.” Zoey sought acceptance, community, and empathy but instead felt isolated and alone.
Zoey decided to create a virtual safe place for queer youth to find their own sense of community and named it: I Understand You. People began to share a wide range of coming-out stories on the platform, and Zoey realized that queer people across generations had similarities in their experiences that could help build a strong online community.
Zoey also built a network of more than 50 volunteers called “Understanders,” who work with IUY to mentor LGBTQIA+ teens, distribute banned books to trans youth, answer questions, and deliver gender-affirming aids such as binders upon request. To date, IUY volunteers have provided gender-affirming tools to more than 700 individuals.
IUY (I Understand You) provides a safe community and accurate information and health resources for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults. The platform began as a virtual safe space for queer youth to share and read coming-out stories, have peer-to-peer interactions, and learn about omitted queer history through monthly newsletters. After a rise in anti-trans legislation, IUY also delivered binders and gender-affirming tools to more than 700 queer youth in the US and seven other countries.
