Gavin Grimm Is Taking His Activism Nationwide

"Just Be Cause” is our interview series where celebs and influencers answer alternating questions about social change (“cause”) and about who they are as a person (“just because”).

At 15 years old, trans activist and educator Gavin Grimm sued the school board of Gloucester County, Virginia, after he was barred from using the men’s restroom in his high school. Though initially supported by his school, a handful of community members and parents complained, resulting in a policy stating that students must use the bathroom corresponding to their biological sex.

In 2015, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Gavin’s behalf and his case gained national attention (he even earned a shoutout from Laverne Cox at the 2017 Grammy Awards). After a grueling and complex legal battle, in May 2018, the Virginia District Court ruled that the school’s policy qualifies as sex discrimination under Title IX.

One of DoSomething’s 2019 Youth Empower Players, Gavin now serves as a resource for trans education, speaking in schools and at companies all over the country. Get to know Gavin in our interview below and follow him at @GavinGrimmVA.

DoSomething: What cause or organization are you most passionate about?

Gavin: I have a different answer for both of those questions. So the cause that I'm most passionate about is just trans advocacy and education, protecting trans kids. Educating the world so the little trans kids don't have to go through this space traumatized by who they are, be that from internally and their families or from society. The organization I'm most passionate about is the ACLU because they're like the closest thing you can get to superheroes in the real world.

What's your go-to song on a bad day?

“Wake Up” by Arcade Fire.

What moment or experience made you want to change the world?

When I was 15, and they were not letting me use the right bathroom, I didn't initially view the lawsuit as a conscious decision that I could have made among other decisions. In my perspective, it was a critical need, it was a life need. It was as crucial as food or water to use the correct bathroom and be myself. The experience that made me want to change the world was growing up and thinking adults were supposed to do the right thing and finding out that they often don't, and realizing that sometimes the only person that's going to advocate for you is going to be you.

What is the last show or movie series that you binged?

My Hero Academia.

Who or what gives you gives you hope for the future?

Kids like Mari [Copeny], Hailey [Richman], and Braeden [Mannering] [all of whom were honored alongside Gavin at the 2019 DoSomething Gala]. I have two beautiful trans kids in my life. They're the children of one of my closest friends in California, and they give me hope because they get to experience the world in a way that is not intrinsically tied to how their gender traumatizes them, which is not an experience most trans people have the benefit of. That inspires me.

What's your guilty pleasure?

I was going to say walking my cat because I get more joy out of that than I probably should. But the thing that I do that serves no purpose other than pure entertainment and rots my brain from the inside out is probably YouTube.

What is your best self-care hack?

Taking my cat on a walk. I have a backyard, which is extremely fortunate and rare in my part of California. I get to not only be in nature, but like just take a moment and slow down and like watch my cat explore the backyard and like sun herself on her favorite rock or spit all over her other favorite rock. You know, but it's totally self care because I'm forced to take however long she's out there like she is the only thing I can pay attention to.

What are three things you’d do on a perfect day?

Walk my cat. Spend meaningful time with friends. And people watching.

Who is your role model?

Bill Farrar and so many of the people that work with me at the ACLU.

What is your secret or what's a secret talent?

I’m good with like handling abandoned baby wildlife. I scooped up a baby pigeon from outside of a train station that had been abandoned by its mother and got it to a rehab facility, but I had to weather it overnight and it went well.

What issue or cause should more people be talking about?

Lots of them. This is my opportunity to go off brand. We should be talking more about how the institution of the police force absolutely enforces trauma and violence, especially in lower-income communities by nature of the laws that are on the books. The laws are written to criminalize poverty and to force people further down that hole and to railroad them into the criminal justice system for free labor.

What's one thing that you carry or need with you at all times?

I don't want to go to the obvious and say the phone because I feel like people love to demonize young people for that, even though it's an extremely powerful tool that empowers me all the time. But there is nothing that I don't leave the house without except for my phone.

What young person or group of young people inspires you?

The other DoSomething [honorees who were honored with Gavin at the DoSomething Gala].

What is your favorite meme?

The political compass meme.

What's something that you watch, read, or listen to to make you feel inspired?

Reply All and Pod Save the People with DeRay McKesson.

Who or what is guaranteed to make you laugh?

My best friend Camille.

What is the biggest change you'd like to see in the world in the next five years?

I would like to see a total total reform of the public education system that amplifies the agency of the students and minimizes the trauma of the school environment.

What is your most overused emoji?

The trans flag on Facebook.

What advice would you give to other young people who want to make a difference?

Well, I mean, I would say the first step is understanding that you absolutely can. Every single child has the ability to make a positive impact on the world just in the way that they live their life. Either because they're kind to others at school, because they choose to not be a bully, or because maybe their parents wouldn't dare let them stage any large-scale political anything, but online they have a space where they can do that. There's an access point for every kid to make a really positive change. Even if that is literally just being kind of people in your own life. It makes a big difference.

In three words, how are you feeling right now?

Excited. “Cat-sick” (because I miss my cat). How do you create like a verb of the concept of fellowship? Because that's what I'm feeling. Yeah, “fellowshipped.”