Jesse’s Introduction

Hi Camp Lightbulb Family! I am extremely excited to join you. I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I am Jesse Rodriguez, Camp Lightbulb’s new Project Manager. Joining this organization has been a fulfilling experience, as it has been a dream of mine to do meaningful work in the LGBTQ+ community. I believe that our youth are incredibly important and deserve to be connected with their peers so that they can flourish as adults. I wish that I had that opportunity at a young age.

My journey to discovering my identity didn’t truly begin until after my teens. It was halfway through college when I came out as gay. Even as I type the word “gay” I feel a tiny bit of hesitance despite being a proud gay man. I can only connect that hesitance to the years I spent as a teen afraid to be myself. Today, I am proud to say that I am a part of Camp Lightbulb, an organization with the mission to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth are happy and thriving because no teen should be afraid to be themselves.

I remember the first time I really felt connected to the LGBTQ+ community. It was the summer of 2014. Ariana Grande’s song, Break Free, was on repeat, and it became the anthem of the summer and the embodiment of my experience. I had just graduated from college in Southern California, and my friends and I decided to take a pilgrimage to San Francisco for the LGBTQ+ Pride celebration. This was my first of many Pride events, but I can remember it like it was yesterday.

I stepped off the train full of happy, queer people and walked up the steps to the plaza in front of City Hall. It was exhilarating! There were people everywhere; stages with performers at every corner; people danced in the streets and couples held hands without fear. My friends and I, with big smiles on our faces and pride in our hearts, trekked to Dolores Park where I saw a sight that was breathtaking. I will never forget the endless sea of people as I looked down from the top of the hill. I saw every part of the rainbow in all its beauty. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone or afraid. I felt free, and I felt like I was home because I was surrounded by people that were just like me.

Since then, I’ve proudly claimed the LGBTQ+ community as my home and my chosen family that continues to grow larger and larger with both members and love. It took me many years to have the experience that Camp Lightbulb provides at every camp. I am excited to witness the joy these campers will feel when they are surrounded by people that are just like them. They’ll have their own anthems and memories, but for me, I’ll still be hearing Break Free in my head. Let’s make some happy memories at Camp Lightbulb.

Jesse Rodriguez He/Him/His