Kenyon Farrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenyon Farrow
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Farrow in 2020
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| Born | November 13, 1974 |
Kenyon Farrow (born November 13, 1974) is an American writer, activist, and educator. He works to achieve fairness and justice for all people, especially in the LGBTQ community. He has held important leadership roles in many organizations. These include Queers for Economic Justice, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Treatment Action Group.
Farrow has also worked as a senior editor for TheBody.com, a website about HIV and AIDS. In 2021, he became the managing director of advocacy and organizing for PrEP4All. This group works to make sure everyone has access to important health services.
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A Young Activist
Kenyon Farrow grew up in a family of church ministers. He started his work as an activist in 1995. He was a part of the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland. There, he taught high school students about health and safety.
This experience made him want to understand why some groups of people were more affected by HIV/AIDS than others. He saw that people with HIV/AIDS were sometimes treated unfairly, even in church. This motivated him to become an activist and speak out against discrimination.
After high school, Farrow went to Ohio Wesleyan University. He studied theatre and hoped to become an actor. In 1999, he moved to New York City. Soon after he arrived, a man named Amadou Diallo was killed. This event, along with seeing unfair treatment of young LGBTQ people, deeply affected Farrow. He decided to change his focus from acting to fighting for social justice.
He began working with groups that helped people who were unfairly put in jail. He also helped found a group called FIERCE! to support young LGBTQ people in New York City. Farrow started a blog to write about issues of race and fairness. His essays became well-known and were used in books and school papers.
Fighting for Fairness
In the mid-2000s, Farrow worked with the New York State Black Gay Network. He created campaigns to fight wrong ideas about HIV/AIDS. He also worked with religious groups to reduce discrimination against the LGBT community. Later, he became the executive director of an organization called Queers for Economic Justice.
As a director at the Treatment Action Group, Farrow worked on health policy. He argued that everyone has a right to good healthcare. He fought against HIV discrimination and worked to stop the spread of HIV and tuberculosis. He also pushed for laws like the Affordable Care Act to be expanded.
His work helped convince New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, to provide more housing for homeless LGBTQ youth. It also helped ensure that young people could get healthcare privately.
In 2017, Farrow became a senior editor for TheBody and TheBodyPro. These are large publications focused on news about HIV and AIDS. In 2020, he became a leader at Partners for Dignity and Rights. The next year, he joined PrEP4All, an organization co-founded by activist Peter Staley.
Farrow is a strong supporter of equal rights for everyone. He also supports the use of PrEP, a medicine that helps prevent HIV.
Spreading His Message Through Writing
Farrow is a talented writer who covers topics like race, fairness, healthcare, and identity. His work has been featured in many famous publications. These include The Atlantic, The American Prospect, Out, and The Grio.
Books and Anthologies
Farrow has also co-edited two books: Letters from Young Activists: Today's Rebels Speak Out and Stand Up!: The Shifting Politics of Racial Uplift.
His essays are included in several collections of writings, called anthologies. Some of these include:
- We Have Not Been Moved: Resisting Racism and Militarism in 21st Century America
- Spirited: Affirming the Soul of Black Lesbian and Gay Identity
- Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Same-Sex Marriage
- Black Gay Genius: Answering Joseph Beam's Call
Speaking and Media Appearances
Farrow is a popular speaker and has been invited to talk at many universities and events. He has spoken at Harvard University, UC Berkeley School of Law, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
He has also appeared on TV and radio shows to share his views. He has been on PBS NewsHour, NPR, and Democracy Now!. He was in a documentary called ... in an Epidemic, which looked at the history of the AIDS epidemic. He also appeared in Unstoppable Feat: The Dances of Ed Mock, a film about a famous choreographer.
Awards and Recognition
Kenyon Farrow has received many awards for his activism and writing.
- In 2008, Out magazine named him one of its "Out 100" influential people.
- In 2010, The Advocate magazine called him one of the "40 Under 40" LGBT leaders.
- In 2011, BET included him in its list of "Modern Black History Heroes."
- In 2012, The Root named him one of 20 Black LGBT Movers and Shakers.
- In 2021, POZ Magazine added him to its POZ 100 list for his work as an HIV activist.
He has also received awards from the Woodhull Institute and other community organizations for his dedication to social justice.
