Tully Satre

Tully Satre (born Tully Meehan Satre on May 17, 1989 in Dover, DE) is an American gay rights activist and gay writer. In June 2005, Tully Satre founded Equality Fauquier-Culpeper in the rural suburbs of Virginia. Equality Fauquier-Culpeper was noted that summer in The Washington Post, The Washington Blade, and other news outlets such as The Advocate. Tully Satre has become a national youth activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.

Early notice and controversy
Tully Satre began his online blog on John Aravosis' liberal AMERICAblog and later made headlines on Andrew Sullivan's blog, the New York Times, The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, the Culpeper Star-Exponent, The Advocate, and other news outlets when he confronted U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA) in Culpeper during a town hall meeting.

After the establishment of Equality Fauquier-Culpeper, Tully has traveled around America sharing the story of his experiences from rural Virginia. He has appeared on shows such as Gay USA with Andy Humm, OutQ on Sirius Satellite Radio with Michelangelo Signorile, and was the first student to appear on Richmond's Education Radio.

Satre's article on Bisexuality, ("I'm no faggot, I'm bisexual" Published on Advocate.com / August 31, 2006.) has been the subject of controversy. He later released a rebuttal to statements made against him in several online gay commentaries. (See Advocate.com "I am not the enemy" / / September 14, 2006)

Satre began writing for the Windy City Times in October 2007.

Leadership
Tully served as the hired Executive Director of Equality Fauquier-Culpeper since its inception in June 2005, headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia. He stepped down from his position with Equality Fauquier-Culpeper in June 2007. In January 2006, Tully founded Commonwealth Education Equality Virginia (CEEVA), a statewide organization advocating for GLBT/Q youth, and is current president of the board. He is the founder of The Voice Project for LGBTQI Equality, Support & Inclusion, an internet outreach program for GLBT/Q youth which also promotes civic participation among teens for equality. (TVP formed as a national web and community-based organization which sponsors the online network project known as Equality Myspace.) Tully is the official blog writer for The Advocate, and also maintains a personal blog on activism which can be found online at http://tullysatre.livejournal.com. During the Summer of 2006, Satre attended the NYU Tisch School of the Arts CAP 21 Studio for Musical Theatre.

Satre was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors for Equality Virginia, to become the first teenager to serve on a statewide gay rights organization in the United States but could not accept the position because he was under the age of 18.

''At 16 years of age, Tully Satre, is spearheading one of the most controversial equality groups in Culpeper and Fauquier counties.

"We're living in two very conservative counties that have a great amount of discrimination with no policies or laws protecting gay citizens," Satre said. "I am an activist, I'll always be an activist and age is just a number and can never define a person's capabilities." Satre, founder and executive director of Equality Fauquier/Culpeper (EFC), said the reason he wanted to create an organization that reached out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered (GLBT) and questioning community is so that equal rights might one day be established.''

Pamela Kulick / Staff Writer / Culpeper News / August 18, 2005

Theatrical Credits
In 2006 - 2007, Tully Satre worked with the Creative Youth Theater Foundation and Loudoun Youth Initiative in an original production about bullying. The story was covered in The Washington Post:

''Tully Satre, 17, says he knows what it's like to be bullied. He knows how it feels to be called names and ostracized.

"I'm gay and I go to a Catholic school. You get the picture there," said the senior at Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg.

But through his involvement in "Normal," a play about bullying and the teenage experience, he has come to understand that he's a bully, too.

"What's so intense about this process is that we realize we've all been bullies, that some of the things we've said or done could have hurt other people. It's been very awakening," said Satre, one in a cast of 26 students from Loudoun and Fauquier county schools.''

Arianne Aryanpur / Washington Post Staff Writer / The Washington Post / January 25, 2007

In 2007, he attended one semester at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, majoring in Musical Theater.

Awards and Nominations

 * Capital Pride Hero 2006
 * Colin-Higgins Foundation, Nomination