Sasha Villarreal may be our new hero. Like so many queers, the teenager's life has been shaped by a barrage of homophobic insults. As a child her church told her homos would burn in hell. Family members scoffed at queers, while classmates employed typical homo-hating lingo, hurling insults at her left and right. In the face of such adversity, some people would turn inward, waiting for an escape through which to finally release their closeted selves. Ms. Villarreal? She keeps it real.

Though she came out a few years ago, 2006 proved to be the most enlightening for the former fundamentalist. Mustering her lesbianic gumption, Villarreal started organizing straight-gay alliance meetings and worked with other queer youth at the Oregon Queer Youth Conference. In a queer mix of faith-based fate, it was coming out to her deeply religious family that gave Villarreal the strength to fight back. Sure, some of her extended family still consider homosexuality a sin, but have made it clear they love her no matter what. Now she's determined to make things easier for other queer youth. She tells The Oregonian:

I told myself that it was my job to try and make my school, Portland and eventually the state a better place for queer youth...