In honor of the University’s 125th anniversary, we offer an in-depth profile of Rayna Hill ’22MA/MPP, whose advocacy is creating an equitable future for LGBTQ+ youth in the state of Massachusetts.
“For me, social justice entails creating a more equitable world, but it must be informed by people and communities with lived experience [of being marginalized, and] who are most affected by oppressive policies and systems,” says Rayna Hill ’22MA/MPP, Legislative and Policy Manager for the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. The Commission is an independent state agency that holds state policymakers responsible for creating inclusive policies, programs, and resources that help LGBTQ+ young people thrive.
“I am motivated to uplift those voices who are most affected by systems of inequality — racism, homophobia, and transphobia — and to break apart these systemic barriers and to bring forth new policies and programs that help achieve social justice,” she says.
Advocating for LGBTQ Youth
Hill began working for the Commission in 2021 as the Administrative Assistant. Two months after completing her graduate program at Simmons, she was promoted to her current position. For a time, Hill crossed paths with Valerie Leiter, Professor and Chair of Simmons’ Department of Public Health, when Leiter served as a Statistical Consultant for the Commission. In Hill’s role, she performs three overlapping types of advocacy-related work.
“A big part of my job is empowering young people by helping them navigate a complicated world and inspiring them to create change,” says Hill. “It’s important to validate their experiences and give them the tools they need to build equity.”
First, in a legislative capacity, Hill advises and develops legislation within the State House, helping ensure that developing bills are LGBTQ-inclusive. As she explains, “I remain in constant communication with our community members — including young people (ages 25 and under), parents, family members, educators, or anyone who might be affected by this legislation. We are also advocating for a variety of bills in child welfare, education, and public health.”
Second, Hill collaborates with other state agency partners (e.g., the Department of Public Health and the Department of Youth Services). “We work to help advise [the state of Massachusetts] on developing policy, training, and any other kinds of community engagement that they may wish to curate for LGBTQ young people and families across the state,” she says. For example, the Commission counseled the Department of Children and Families on specific policies regarding non-discrimination of LGBTQ individuals, as well as other gender-affirming consent policies.
Third, Hill oversees the Commission’s research development. “We have an annual report that is released every fiscal year. This is a massive document that covers our targeted recommendations to our state agency partners … [related to training, resource development, welfare, health, and generalized recommendations to the governor and the legislature],” she explains. “We want to make sure that young people aren’t being left behind or underserved by the state of Massachusetts. Ultimately, we want the state to be held accountable for the work they are supposed to be doing to serve LGBTQ people, their families, and educators.”
Like any advocacy and nonprofit-based work, Hill and her Commission colleagues face challenges regarding capacity (i.e., being understaffed) and funding. Furthermore, achieving milestones in government work may be glacially slow, given time-consuming bureaucratic procedures. Fortunately, the Commission’s team increased from three to seven individuals in recent years. Executive Director Shaplaie Brooks began leading the Commission in 2022, and has expanded its outreach and adopted intersectional advocacy.
“When we practice intersectional advocacy, as our director always says, it demands that we stand up for who is the most marginalized person in the room, and who is going to be the most [negatively] impacted by particular policies and systems, such as child welfare, criminal justice, or education … And right now in Massachusetts, those [marginalized] individuals are often queer, trans, BIPOC, and disabled people, as well as immigrants and refugees,” Hill explains. In other words, effective policies cannot endorse a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Since Maura Healey became the first openly lesbian governor of Massachusetts in 2023, Hill observed change in the air. “While the Commission has been doing this work for many years and remains committed regardless of who is governor, I have noticed that since Governor Healey took office, the tone of conversations with our state and community partners has shifted in a positive, proactive way,” she says. “We feel like we have more support and that we can effect change more rapidly … and this has been great to witness.”
A Personal Investment in Social Change
Hill has a deep personal investment in a career committed to social justice. “I grew up as an LGBTQ-identifying individual in a very conservative area [of eastern Maryland]. I never felt that I was heard by government officials who are supposed to represent me, and never felt like I had the resources or the support,” she recalls. “I was drawn to advocacy from an early age … I still remember the day that gay marriage became legalized in the United States [in 2015, resulting from the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges]. Knowing that I could marry the person I was dating at the time could be a reality was tremendously inspiring.”
Since childhood, Hill felt drawn to support others who faced discrimination and oppression. She volunteered for several organizations, including PFLAG and Pop-Up Pride. “Given my desire to perform social justice work, coming to Massachusetts, studying at Simmons, and learning how to be a good policy advocate were natural parts of my life trajectory,” she says.
For Hill, the most rewarding aspects of her life’s work involve mentorship, validation, and empowerment. “Creating space for more people to come into LGBTQ advocacy and to be themselves, and for these people to realize that there is a place for them in policy work, is very enriching.”
Moreover, Hill notes that “I am one of the few people who can say I am doing exactly what I wanted to do, and exactly what I studied for. It is so gratifying. And I continue to find opportunities to grow and become a better advocate by learning from other advocates and community members … Going forward, I just want to do better [social justice] work.”
The Transferability of a Simmons Education
“Simmons prepared me for statewide and national conversations [about gender equity], and for the political challenges that we are encountering at the moment,” Hill says. She gravitated toward Simmons for its longstanding history of inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights. “It made perfect sense for me to study gender and policy at this University, which is so well-positioned in history [as an institution dedicated to social justice.]”
Specifically, Hill pursued graduate studies in the dual Master of Arts in Gender and Cultural Studies and Master in Public Policy (which has since been reconstituted as a joint program). “What drew me to these courses was the intersectionality component … And I really appreciated that Simmons coursework enabled us to discuss a theoretical position and attempt to put it into practice in our everyday lives,” she explains.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hill took a social policy course with (former) Assistant Professor of Political Science Aaron Rosenthal in which students analyzed pandemic policies in real-time. “This was my very first policy course, and being able to address those real-world examples was so meaningful,” she recalls. “We asked ourselves if the policies could be improved, and that experiential learning informs what I do today.”
Hill fondly remembers Professor Suzanne Leonard, who now serves as Director of the Gender and Cultural Studies program. “She created a very welcoming program and was always available for a chat, checking in with us throughout the pandemic. I was very appreciative of the work that Professor Leonard did to create a fantastic program.”
Hill’s Simmons education instills in her an awareness of the complexities of gender constructs. “Gender studies gives people the tools that they need to be introspective and reflect more holistically [on gender and social inequity],” she explains. “It is necessary to step outside of our cultural boxes and think how norms, policies, and power relations have impacted our world. Gender and cultural studies illuminate how diverse barriers — gender, sexuality, ability, race, ethnicity, and religion — are manufactured and manipulated to enforce domination and inequity … Having specific terms to identify and unpack these processes helps me be an effective advocate.”
For locals who wish to support the Commission, Hill recommends they consider serving as members or attending the various events that the agency hosts across the state throughout the year, including its annual fundraising Gayla. (In 2024, Dr. Gary Bailey, Professor of Practice and Master of Social Work Program Director received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this event). Additionally, the Commission raises scholarship funds for LGBTQ+ students pursuing higher education and actively participates in Pride events.
“I’m always happy to speak and connect with people,” Hill says, “and help them find what kind of advocacy work best suits their needs, values, and passions.”