About Rebekah

A long blonde-haired smiling woman looks at the camera wearing a black top.

Rebekah is an eighteen-year-old author and activist who is passionate about authenticity and inclusion. Rebekah’s journey into public advocacy began at 10-years-old when a picture of her holding a sign went viral. With her cute pink pigtails, Rebekah made a bold statement that transgender people aren’t scary at all. Suddenly, she had a platform, and she knew she needed to use it. Since then she’s used that platform to connect with legislators, advocate for representation of LGBTQ+ voices in books and media, and spread a message of hope.

At 11-years-old, Rebekah spoke at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Youth Gathering where she told her story and brought 32,000 people to their feet! An avid reader and writer, Rebekah published her first Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2019 and co-authored her first book, A Kids Book About Being Inclusive, in June 2021. Rebekah is also the star of her very own Marvel comic book, Mighty Rebekah, after appearing in the Disney+ series Marvel’s Hero Project, and she was a finalist for Time Magazine and Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year in 2020. She has spoken at corporations, conferences, black-tie galas, houses of worship and schools across the country. She’s been featured by Disney, People, Good Morning America, Good Morning Britain, The Today Show, TeenVogue, British Vogue, Forbes, and USA Today among others.

Rebekah’s voice helps fuel The GenderCool Project, a youth-led movement bringing positive change to the world. As GenderCool Champions, Rebekah and her peers are helping replace misinformed opinions with positive experiences meeting transgender and non-binary youth who are thriving. Through leadership development, education, advocacy, and visibility, GenderCool is creating positive change by evolving understanding, business and culture worldwide.

As attacks on transgender kids continue, Rebekah continues to partner with leaders and elected officials to share her story as a young person, an athlete, and an author. Whether in meetings with legislators, on the field hockey field, singing in the church choir, or performing in the school musical, Rebekah inspires people of all ages and identities to show up fully as themselves and dare to make the world a better place.

What People Are Saying

  • The 19th

    “

    Hearing from those who don’t support transgender people, or from other trans people who believe that Christians hate LGBTQ+ people, used to make Rebekah feel like she needed to hide parts of herself, parts of her faith, she said. But she’s seen what happens when she speaks up about who she is and what she believes, people tell her that she’s made them feel less alone.

    ”

  • The TODAY Show

    “

    Bruesehoff and her family have learned over the years how to block out the noise and set boundaries due to their public platform. She said that she rarely responds to comments unless there’s a “teaching moment” happening.

    ”

  • INTO's 25 under 25

    “

    Life can be hard as a trans person in the United States when so many bills seek to take away your rights. Fighting back against all of that can be exhausting when you just want to be able to exist, and it can feel hopeless or like you can’t make real change yourself. If Rebekah Bruesehoff was confronted by those feelings, she didn’t let it show, and has been a powerful and important voice advocating for trans rights since the age of 10.

    ”

  • GLAAD 20 under 20

    “

    She demonstrates what can be accomplished when trans people are allowed to live as their authentic selves.

    And indeed, Bruesehoff has set a positive example and continuously breaks down the barriers that society imposes on trans youth.

    ”