Rod Snyder, the outgoing president of the the Young Democrats of
America (YDA), has come out gay.
In a YDA blog post titled Some
Unfinished Business, Snyder wrote that he's “a Christian,
an American, a West Virginian, a Young Democrat, a rural advocate, a
singer-songwriter, a brother, a son, a grandson, a nephew, an uncle
and a gay man.”
Snyder, 33, said that growing up in a Christian family made it
difficult for him to accept his sexual orientation.
“Growing up in a conservative Christian family in rural West
Virginia, my own journey to a place of self acceptance has been a
long and difficult one. Over the past two years, now in my early
thirties, I've finally found the courage to look in the mirror and
insist upon honesty and authenticity, overcoming so many negative
messages I had internalized as a child and young adult. I've reached
a place where I believe my story can help increase understanding,
provide encouragement and be a catalyst for change.”
And he hinted that his next role could be that of an activist.
“While society is evolving at a breathtaking place, there are
still many places like my home state of West Virginia where I could
be fired from a job or evicted from an apartment simply because of
the person I love. I can't sit by quietly and leave this fight for
equality to others. This is my fight.”
Snyder served as president of the Young Democrats of America for
three years.