Joy, Backlash, and the Bravery of Youth with Domenico Ruggiero

Domenico Ruggiero shares with co-hosts Hunter and Mattie Bynum how his leadership began “at the margins” as a first-gen, biracial, queer student from an immigrant background who often felt like he didn’t fully belong anywhere. He describes becoming a bridge-builder across siloed campus spaces, a throughline that shaped his career in multicultural and LGBTQ centers before leading We Are Family in South Carolina. Domenico reflects on how working alongside queer and trans youth has helped him find language for parts of himself he hadn’t named before. Throughout, Hunter and Mattie keep it playful and real while staying rooted in what it takes to build community that’s life-affirming and life-saving.