Actor Wilson Cruz Is Still Standing Up for Queer Students

In 2023, Cruz joined Glisten—the national nonprofit formerly known as GLSEN—as chair of its board of directors. In the role, he has helped advance the organization's mission of making K-12 schools safer for LGBTQ+ students by combating discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Founded in 1990, Glisten operates 15 chapters across 13 states and reaches more than 1.5 million members. “When you make a school safe for a Black trans girl, you make that school safe for everybody,” Cruz says. “If she’s safe, we are all safe.”

The challenges facing LGBTQ+ students underscore the stakes of Cruz and Glisten's work. According to the ACLU, there are 530 active bills targeting LGBTQ rights in the U.S. relating to curriculum censorship, school sports bans, gender-affirming care bans, and more. In Glisten’s 2025 National School Climate Survey of 2800 LGBTQ+ students ages 13 and older, 67% of participants—and 71% of trans and gender-expansive participants—felt unsafe at some point due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; one focus group reported that their school climate felt more hostile during the 2024-2025 school year due to the political landscape.

Now, Cruz is fighting to ensure Glisten can continue serving LGBTQ+ youth. In recent years, the nonprofit has become a target of criticism from right-wing organizations and conservative news outlets, including in regards to recommendations it shared with educators for supporting LGBTQ students. Glisten says the criticism contributed to financial setbacks; the organization laid off 60% of its staff in 2025. “We're in the midst of a $2 million fundraising challenge to not only make up for the loss of corporate sponsorship,” Cruz says, “but to fight the demonization [of our community].”

Part of Glisten’s next chapter is its new name, announced in February. The organization also launched a new website, introduced new branding, and expanded its mission to include empowering young people to fight for inclusive schools and arming them with the resources to succeed. “This is a new Glisten for a new moment,” he adds. “Focused… and more agile.”

As Glisten embarks on its next chapter, Cruz reflects on his younger self. “So much of my generation’s work was about proving we existed,” he says. “The work now is, ‘Do we get to exist in public spaces?’ Knowledge of our existence isn't enough.” Even so, he believes visibility remains one of the most powerful tools for combating hate: “We can choose to use our lives, our experiences, and our truths to be the antidote.”