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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 2002)
20.2002* nTÎTîTTTÏÏÎÏÏTrJnetus _JL PISTILS T een S pirit NURSERY The precocious life of Sebastian Jambor B '° by Nadia Cannon alW e M » r k e , * f e n c e d . . iste n e t M te° -Pit til rt sustiinibly grown fiori 381 1 N . M i s s i s s i p p i Av e . Portland, Oregon 503-288-4889 Sebastian Jambor puts gender fluidity ahead of gender identity ^ rans teen Sebastian Jambor has a Voices o f Individual and Com m unity deep and dedicated passion for Empowerment from the Streets, the HIV pre education, especially relating to vention art group at Outside In, a drop-in queer youth. He volunteers at center for homeless youth, provides a more more than five nonprofit organi creative outlet for the work he does. “Making zations, mostly in health programs. art in such a queer-friendly space is really And all at age 16. This year, while a precocious fun,” he notes. senior at Cleveland High Schcxil and living on his He also works at Basic Rights Oregon on the own, he is changing the face of youth activism. Youth Advisory Committee and the Trans Advisory Group, both of which make recom At the age of 13, Jambor came home with mendations to the nonprofit organization on a shaved head and came out to his mom, Nancy, as hi. When the two of them attend their respective communities. ed a commitment ceremony for his fifth-grade Cleveland High serves Jambor’s needs with basketball coach, it helped her come to terms “great teachers and a good system— it’s just the with her child’s sexual orientation. students who are lacking.” Once while waiting Coming out to his father, Tom Zell, took a for the bus, he was harassed by a group of kids little longer. When Jambor was in Canada with who were confused about his trans identity; friends and family, he made a bet with his pals other than that, the hostility from others is lim that he would do it and came out to his dad out ited to disapproving looks in the halls. side a candy shop called Death by Chocolate. Nevertheless, in the classroom Jambor is bright and loves English and writing programs. His older brother, Nate, is also supportive, even though he isn’t sure how to react to his sib His hope for Cleveland is that it eventually will change for the better. ling’s gender identity yet. “He has heard people Jambor, like many of his peers, is looking ahead call me (Sebastian) but doesn’t chcxise to react to it,” says' Jambor, who doesn’t seem deeply both toward future careers. He is determined to make ered about it. The two— despite some occasional an impact on the health care system by revolu tionizing queer youth services. He hopes to make spats— find plenty of other things to talk about. vast changes, and he certainly already has begun. Now, Jambor identifies as genderqueer and He also is thinking about college; San Fran surfs the border between gender and sexuality identities. “Either pronoun is fine for me. I’m cisco State, Reed, Howard and Wellesley are at the top of the list. In typical fashion, this white pretty fluid," says Jambor, for whom the fluidity youth finds Howard’s status as a historically black is more important than each identity. college all the more alluring. “It’d be really gtxxj When asked about his favorite volunteering job, he quickly picks Cascade A ID S Project’s for me to be in a racial minority for once.” Jambor lives in an apartment with his cat, Teen to Teen. He says the group dix:sn’t box Saja (“my darling,” he calls her), reads and hangs him into a leadership position but is just a place out at Portland cafes. Even though most kids his to have fun— while educating, of course. But the program that Jamhor calls his baby is age don’t have their own place, he talks about it matter-of-factly: “I just get along better with my Bridge 13, another youth-led health education program. “We really don’t want to see the pro parents when we're not living together." In some ways, Jamhor s life is that of a typical gram go," he says about the work he and activist youth, but his leadership and quiet confidence, Tina Barfixit have been doing. His remarkable calm about the difficult world of sex education is changing the city step by step, are unique. He does things the right way and respects those he indicative; he’s gixxl at it. So gtxxj, in fact, that hanging out at the Sex works with. In return, he earns respect. in ual Minority Youth Recreation Center, a place NADIA C annon , farmer Just Out intern where Jambor once thrived, has become a extraordinaire, is nou1 doing documentary work in headache for him. 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