Kristin Russo (born December 17, 1980) is an American speaker, personality, and

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

activist. She is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of ''Everyone Is Gay'' and ''My Kid Is Gay','' organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBT youth and their families, and is the co-author of ''This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids'' (Chronicle, 2014).

Education

Russo received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre in 2002 from

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

in New York City. She later went on to receive her Masters of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies from

CUNY The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

Grad Center in 2012.

Work

LGBTQ outreach

In 2010, Russo and former business partner Dan Owens-Reid launched ''Everyone Is Gay'' as a Tumblr presence. Russo began providing regular written advice for LGBT youth's regularly submitted questions, and later that same year began to make video responses to these questions interspersed with lip-sync numbers. In 2013, Russo and Owens-Reid began ''My Kid Is Gay'' (formerly ''The Parents Project'',) a first-of-its-kind digital resource for families and educators of LGBT people. ''My Kid Is Gay'' provides advice from parents, youth, and experts about topics related to gender identity and sexuality. This project was inspired during the writing of ''This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids'' which was released in 2014 by Chronicle Books. ''This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids'' was written as an accessible, relatable, and non-clinical guide parents could turn to for contemporary answers to their questions. The book received glowing accolades from

The Ellen Show ''The Ellen Show'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ellen DeGeneres that was broadcast during the 2001–02 season on CBS, airing from September 24, 2001, to January 11, 2002. It also starred Cloris Leachman, Martin M ...

, National Public Radio (NPR),

Autostraddle Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer fem ...

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

, and many others. In 2015, Russo hosted and produced the premiere season of ''First Person'', a digital video series on sexuality and gender from WNET and PBS Digital Studios. In the series, Russo interviewed individuals whose lives intersected with issues related to gender identity and sexuality. In 2016, Russo took on the role of CEO & Editor-in-Chief of both ''Everyone Is Gay'' & ''My Kid Is Gay''. She continues to speak at school campuses & community centers, and in February 2016 began a new ''Everyone Is Gay'' video series (hosted on YouTube and broadcast live on Facebook) called "Getting In Bed with Kristin," where she answers advice and speaks with notable guests from the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

on issues related to sexuality and gender. Russo also co-directs a queer adult sleep-away camp founded and hosted by

, called A-Camp.

Podcasting

Buffering The Vampire Slayer

In September 2016, Russo launched the podcast '' Buffering The Vampire Slayer'' with musician Jenny Owen Youngs. The podcast discusses the popular television series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' one episode at a time, and each episode ends with an original recap song about the episode, penned by Youngs and Russo. The podcast is part of the Stitcher Premium network and has been featured in A.V. Club, Entertainment Weekly, Autostraddle, and Buzzfeed.

The Boiler Room

In July 2019, Russo launched the podcast ''The Boiler Room'', a ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It aired on ABC from August 25, 1994 to January 26, 1995. Set at the fictional Liberty High Sch ...

'' podcast, with writer and podcaster Joanna Robinson to coincide with the show's 25th anniversary. The podcast reviews the 1994 teen drama series episode by episode.

Personal life

Russo married musician and songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs on August 25, 2013. On May 25, 2018, the couple announced they were no longer together but remained friends and would keep working in their mutual projects. Both said, "We've come to realize that we will be better—both to ourselves and to each other—within the context of a friendship, rather than a marriage." On May 22, 2023, Russo married Avanthi Govender in New York City, and in February 2025 gave birth to a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, Kristin Living people 1980 births American LGBTQ writers American LGBTQ rights activists CUNY Graduate Center alumni