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![Queer 16-year-old Mason, who uses any and all pronouns, sits down on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia.
“I was just asking myself, ‘What type of person am I? Who am I to myself?’ Like, when I look in the mirror, ‘Who do I see? Who do I feel like I am,’” Mason said of the questions he asked himself early on in his coming out process. “I think I don't really have those [specific identity labels] for myself. I do see other people around who have those that are in the queer community. But, yeah, for myself, I wouldn't really say I have one.”
“I think [my parents have] been very reassuring in the fact that they accept me for who I am. They still know that I'm their son, and they love me,” Mason said. “And, I can't say that for a lot of other people who have had problems with their identity and just really figuring out who they are. I'm lucky to have that. I'm glad I had that. But, I wish there were more parents or just people out there that were more accepting to this idea [of being queer].”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c26ad19/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x975+0+0/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fab%2Fbda94349471cbb8887367225b7cd%2F20240521-bas-queer-joy-mason-graham-0064.jpg)
16-year-old high schooler Mason is queer and uses any pronouns. Mason spoke about how he doesn’t align himself with exclusively a masculine or feminine identity, as people are more complex than those two labels. -
Annalise Caul & Moe Warren: "My queer journey was more like defeating the case of the supposed-tos."Annalise Caul and Moe Warren are both students at the University of Missouri and have been friends since high school. Moe is trans masculine and non-binary and Annalise is an asexual woman. They spoke about how their friendship and their understanding of their own identities has flourished since high school. -
The number of pediatric ER visits for mental health reasons has increased by an average of 8% each year. But Kansas City hospitals warn they aren't able to keep pace — and already, about half of kids are going untreated. -
Girls in the U.S. are experiencing record high levels of violence, sadness and suicide risk. A school-based program is helping them. -
Many parents of Columbia Public School children have received emails this week notifying them of the release of educational records. This comes in relation to a 2020 lawsuit where two parents allege their children were confined in seclusion rooms, one injured from a restraint.
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Several blocks of East Broadway will be closed Sunday while the annual Mid Missouri Soap Box Derby is underway.
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Danielle Devers works in Student Health & Well-being at the University of Missouri, and one of her roles is to work with the Well-being peers – a diverse team of students that seek to support and educate other MU students on topics like alcohol responsibility, stress and mental health, sexual health, healthy relationships, and more. -
Lonnie Lockhart Bey and Julian Jackman both spent many years in prison, and since their releases they have worked together to create the R.I.S.E Initiative in Columbia, which works with and empowers at-risk youth.They spoke about some of the reasons they created the R.I.S.E. Initiative and about what motivates them to do this work. -
Last August KBIA's news team filed this report from Ferguson, Missouri.As demonstrations continue in Ferguson Missouri in response to the killing of… -
Some of Missouri’s strongest anti-tobacco advocates just happen to be under 18 years old. More than one hundred students from across the state arrived in…
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![Queer 16-year-old Mason, who uses any and all pronouns, sits down on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia.
“I was just asking myself, ‘What type of person am I? Who am I to myself?’ Like, when I look in the mirror, ‘Who do I see? Who do I feel like I am,’” Mason said of the questions he asked himself early on in his coming out process. “I think I don't really have those [specific identity labels] for myself. I do see other people around who have those that are in the queer community. But, yeah, for myself, I wouldn't really say I have one.”
“I think [my parents have] been very reassuring in the fact that they accept me for who I am. They still know that I'm their son, and they love me,” Mason said. “And, I can't say that for a lot of other people who have had problems with their identity and just really figuring out who they are. I'm lucky to have that. I'm glad I had that. But, I wish there were more parents or just people out there that were more accepting to this idea [of being queer].”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ad1ebfc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x975+0+0/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0d%2Fab%2Fbda94349471cbb8887367225b7cd%2F20240521-bas-queer-joy-mason-graham-0064.jpg)
