Intelligent, ambitious, articulate, successful, diverse; adjectives don’t do justice to the 15 members of our community and two allies aged 30 and younger in our first 15 under 30 issue.

Total, we are recognizing 17 people – 15 who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and two who identify as allies to the community.

From ages 19-30, we’ve assembled a “who’s who” of men and women committed to making a difference in our community and in the world at large.

If you don’t know them, you’ll need to; they’re the future business leaders, politicians, activists and allies who, thanks to the work of the community’s pioneers, will continue our progress.

Meet the Gay & Lesbian Times’ 15 under 30.

Hair by JT of AXLE Hair Salon (619-299-AXLE)

Who is she? Black Mountain Ranch LLC, assistant manager; Greater San Diego Business Association Foundation, vice president

Community involvement: Meet & Greet for Re-elect Mayor Jerry Sanders; Lambda Archives; Stonewall Citizens’ Patrol; Let California Ring; Decline to Sign Campaign; and the Equality for All “No on Prop 8” Campaign

Motivation: The most important community organization I am involved with right now is the Equality for All “No on Prop 8” Campaign. This is a critical election year and I’m excited about my role in this campaign. I truly feel that my father’s [Mayor Jerry Sanders] inspirational speech has changed the minds and hearts of several Californians. I hope I can continue to tell my story to motivate voters to vote “no” on this destructive proposition.

Role models: I have many influential people and family members in my life, but my role model is my father. He has always impressed me with the commitment he has made to the different communities in San Diego. I have always respected his ability to make positive change and to strive for equality. He is also a wonderful parent. I am so lucky to have such a supportive family.

Goals: My most immediate goal – and what should be the most immediate goal for our entire community – is to help defeat Proposition 8 in November to preserve the right for same-sex couples to marry. My more long-term goal is to help involve the lesbian women in politics. I want to give them a voice and bring the political world to them with the opportunity to ask questions in the “meet and greet” format. I hosted a meet and greet for my dad in May to give the women an opportunity to ask questions. I would like to continue this event so more women can get involved with all elections.

Out and proud: I think being proud of who you are is always important. Having GLBT people in political positions is so important. They have the ability to make unbelievable change for our community and our city. I am very politically active and I want to continue to show the lesbian community it hs the opportunity to get involved in politics and have its voice heard. Being active in the GLBT community is the best example we can make. Right now striving for fairness will help all GLBT generations, and winning in November gets us that much closer to equality.

Who is he? Rescue Social Change Group, RescueSCG.com, president and founder

Community involvement: We currently manage a local anti-tobacco campaign in North Park called Commune (jointhecommune.com), and help the San Diego Unified School District with its high school after-school programs. We are also working on a new violence prevention effort with the District Attorney’s office. Most of our work, however, is outside San Diego.

Motivation: Innovation and competition motivate me. Every ad agency and marketing company that pretends to know how to change youth risk behavior sparks my competitive desire to prove them wrong. Every public servant genuinely trying to change a population’s behavior drives me to innovate and teach. The rest of the work just falls into place.

Role models: My role models are specific to where I am trying to succeed. Successful young entrepreneurs inspire my business mind; eloquent and motivating speakers challenge me as an orator; and steadfast researchers that have proven their theories fuel me as a social scientist.

Goals: The top 100 of the Inc. 500 list one day, but for now I just want to grow Rescue Social Change Group in a healthy way. Short-term: empower each team member to be an expert in his or her area. Long-term: prove Social Branding® and finally motivate the U.S. to end old-school prevention strategies.

Out and proud: I belong to a new gay generation. In contrast to, and thanks to, those who came before us, we are gay at work, at home and with friends. One day, every gay teen will come out in adolescence, take their sweetheart to prom, and be able to focus more on their dreams than their sexuality. Each of us that are successful and openly gay contributes to this future.

Who is she? 607 Productions, women’s nightlife company, owner

Community involvement: Lambda Archives; Equality for All “No on Prop 8” Campaign; Re-elect Mayor Sanders Campaign; Let California Ring; Decline to Sign Campaign; and community fund-raisers

Motivation: San Diego is a beautiful city with a great GLBT community. I wanted to give the women a variety of options for nightlife in San Diego. I started 607 Events with the intention of providing upscale entertainment at several different venues. The women in our community enjoy having numerous options for unique and exciting events.

Role models: My role model is Mariah Hanson, the creator of Club Skirts and Dinah Shore. She has created an environment where thousands of women gather every year to celebrate being lesbians. Women come from all over the United States, and even from other countries, to attend her events. She inspires me to work hard at keeping our lesbian community united and strong.

Goals: Within six months I would like to get as many members of our community registered to vote in an effort to defeat Proposition 8 in November. Within five years, my goal is to have San Diego be the No. 1 city in lesbian nightlife.

Out and proud: It’s important to me to be openly gay to everyone I meet, even if it’s uncomfortable at times. I feel that the more visible we are the less threatening we will seem to those who don’t understand us. I know I have personally changed the opinions of several misguided heterosexuals. I am excited for the day when all of this is no longer an issue.

Who is he? No on Prop 8, Equality for All Campaign, field manager and faith coordinator

Community involvement: South State Regional Director, California Young Democrats; President Emeritus, Stonewall Young Democrats of San Diego

Motivation: I am motivated by the pursuit of fairness and equal treatment under the law for all Californians and all people. I believe that regardless of how one may feel personally about same-sex couples, it’s wrong to eliminate rights and treat one group of people differently.

Role models: My dad; as a conservative man in Louisiana, I thought it would be difficult for my dad to accept my identity, but when I came out my father had nothing but support for me. He reminded me that the social dignity accompanied with marriage is a fair right all people should enjoy.

Goals: To not have the rights of Californians ELIMINATED by ensuring that we defeat Proposition 8 in November. Long-term, I plan to continue to work for fairness and equal treatment for all people mainly by organizing supportive communities of faith and working to help GLBT people and other minority communities.

Out and proud: I dream of a world where individuals feel safe to express their identity. This security begins with self-openness. As an openly gay class valedictorian in Walker, La., I inspired friends to be OK with their identity. The conversations this honesty sparks makes the world a safer and better place for all individuals.

Who is she? No on Prop 8 Campaign, field organizer and campus coordinator

Community involvement: Facilitator/Retention Coordinator, Chicana/o Youth Leadership Camp; Conference Coordinator/Social Chair, Association of Chicana Activists; Founding Member, Gamma Rho Lambda, San Diego chapter; Volunteer/Counselor, National Conference for Community and Justice

Motivation: I believe that as a Mexican/Puerto Rican it is my responsibility to understand all my roots (Indigenous peoples, African and Spanish). As a queer woman I must acknowledge my sexuality, gender and sex in relation to my cultural and gender identity. As an activist and feminist in the Chicana-Boricua world, I must know who I am, where I come from and where I am going.

Role models: My motivation and my personal ideologies were the influence of one of my role models, Gloria Anzaldua. Anzaldua is a Chicana lesbian writer who paved the way for many, especially queer women of color.

Goals: After having had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain last semester, then traveling to India for a Women’s Studies course, I have decided to further my education and pursue my master’s degree in International Studies. It is also of great importance that I pursue a Ph.D. in women and children’s issues on a global scale.

Out and proud: San Diego State University allowed me to openly come out and say, “I am a queer Latina.” By being open about my self-identifications, I have helped people come out and understand the importance of being out for everyone. Through proper and positive representation for the GLBTQ community globally and locally, I hope to change minds, create awareness and promote acceptance.

Who is she? For the next 47 days, I am the No on 8 Equality for All regional field director for San Diego County and the Inland Empire. In my normal life, however, I am the policy coordinator for The San Diego LGBT Community Center.

Community involvement: Center Advocacy Project, the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Planned Parenthood, Immigrants Rights Consortium, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health

Motivation: We have come so far in our fight for equality, and now we stand on the edge of history, with 47 days until Election Day. I am inspired every day by the real stories of loving, committed San Diegans, who just want the right to marry the person they love. I am touched by the parents, siblings, and friends, who tell me they came to phone bank to stand up for a gay person in their lives.

Role models: My mom and I used to watch “Absolutely Fabulous,” and she’d tell me to stop being like Saffie and lighten up. She’d knock on my bedroom door as I lay buried in a textbook and start in with her best Edie impression: “It’s La Croix sweetie, La Croix.” She taught me how to laugh at myself and stop taking the world so seriously, to recognize my weakness as openly as my strengths, and always make time for music.

Goals: I’ll be working non-stop to make sure California votes “no” on 8. It’s the fight of our lives to make sure that we don’t eliminate the right to marry for anyone! After Election Day, I want to get back to the other great work of the Center Advocacy Project, working on the many other policy issues affecting the GLBT community.

Out and proud: It is important to be proud of who you are. Being a part of the GLBT community is as important as being a big sister, a UCSD grad, a Latina, a political organizer and a small town girl. All those pieces make up who I am and together give me the strength and determination to do meaningful work to make a real difference in people’s lives. You need to know who you are and what you stand for before you can help others find the path to the most strategic work for progressive change.

Who is he? Employed by the Associated Students of San Diego State University in the Student Government Affairs Department; Gay & Lesbian Times, contributor and columnist

Community involvement: Pride Resource Office of SDSU, coordinator; Pride Action Committee of SDSU, founding chair; SDSU LGBT Alumni Chapter, vice president,; SDSU Safe Zones Coordinating Committee, member; San Diego LGBT Pride, area coordinator; National Scouting For All, board of directors; Hillcrest History Guild, volunteer; Stonewall Young Democrats, member; Stonewall Citizens Patrol, volunteer

Motivation: I am motivated by the results I see working with GLBT college students. In the 10 years I have been doing this, I have seen many students go on to become vibrant, active leaders in our community, and year after year, I’m motivated by the fact I can make a difference in these students’ lives and show them they can become the future leaders of our community.

Role models: My mother has always been a role model to me. She raised three (difficult) boys on her own with little money while working full time and putting herself through school. Minus a few flaws, my brothers and I turned out OK, and I attribute that to the wonderful life she gave us. She always encouraged me to do well and made a lot of sacrifices to ensure my success.

Goals: To continue the positive growth for our community on SDSU’s campus, I’d like to see a more permanent, state-funded GLBT center open on campus this year. Also, this month, I began a graduate program at the University of San Diego in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. I hope to finish the program in three years and use what I have learned to lead a nonprofit organization serving our community in San Diego. Future plans also include getting more involved with local politics – and maybe a run for San Diego City Council in eight years!

Out and proud: I can’t imagine not being openly gay and working in the community. I want to continue to ensure our GLBT youth and students are informed, safe and included in our community. The politics of the community are ridiculous and sometimes we forget about the most important people: our youth, our seniors and those who are struggling to come out. It is important for me to be out and proud, so I can serve these people.

Who is he? Congressional aide for Congress member Susan Davis

Community involvement: This time of the year it’s pretty much all politics. I’ve been volunteering for Todd Gloria’s city council campaign and the “No on Prop 8” campaign. I’m also spending a couple weekends in Nevada to turn it Obama blue!

Motivation: I love political theory. And while there’s a big gulf between theory and practice in politics, I still think it’s possible to work hard and make the political system more fair, free and accessible to everyone. That’s what gets me going.

Role models: Barack Obama really stands out to me as someone who figured out who he is and what he wanted to do at a young age. The New Yorker had a great article on his rise; he’s an idealist, but he’s also tough as nails. So cool.

Goals: My most immediate goal is to apply to law school or grad school by this time next year. In five years I’d like to be running a high-profile campaign to bring instant runoff voting (IRV) to San Diego.

Out and proud: Being out is one of the most important things a GLBT person can do to change perceptions about GLBT folks and contribute to equality. I’m not openly gay just because it feels good to be honest. To me, being out might mean that my nephew can grow up with two legally married moms.

Who is she? Women’s Resource Center coordinator at The San Diego LGBT Community Center; rapper/performer, MC Flow; Gay & Lesbian Times, columnist

Community involvement: The San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Dyke March, co-founder of Siren Open Mic for Women

Motivation: I “wear many hats” in my life and play many roles – community organizer, rapper/performer, journalist, etc. – but all my work is inspired by the common goal of empowering women and creating a strong and vibrant community. I have always been inspired by the Ghandi quote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” and I try to live by it.

Role models: My role models are the foremothers of the movement – women such as Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who founded the first lesbian advocacy organization. At my desk at The Center, I have two large boards of magazine clippings and photos from early San Diego lesbian publications, and they remind me to keep the movement moving forward.

Goals: Since I was only recently hired as the new WRC Coordinator at The Center, my immediate goal is to increase The Center’s women’s programming, and to provide women with exciting lectures, dances, film-festivals, workshops and more! My more long-term goal is to write a GLBT-themed young adult novel, and to start a family with my partner, Kelly.

Out and proud: I think it is important to be out in order to provide role models for GLBT youth, as well as to show the world that GLBT individuals are just as diverse as our straight counterparts. Being out is an integral part of loving ourselves and accepting ourselves for who we truly are, and that is one of the greatest gifts in life!

Who is he? Hawthorn’s Restaurant Lounge, owner

Community involvement: North Park Mainstreet, California Restaurant Association, Mama’s Kitchen, Trevor Project, Developments In Gardening

Motivation: The true motivation is seeing patrons enjoy themselves. The restaurant business is brutal but seeing people having a great time in your establishment brings such rewarding satisfaction.

Role models: David Cohn. People ask me all the time if I am David Cohn from the Cohn Restaurant Group, which constantly reminds me how successful an entrepreneur he is. I admire what David has done for the restaurant scene in San Diego and I aspire to someday reach his level of success.

Goals: My immediate goal is to help raise a large amount of money for No on Prop 8. My most significant contribution in this regard will be helping to host the Joan Rivers performance on Sunday, Oct. 12. My more long term goal is to have several restaurants in San Diego where people can be themselves and enjoy a great dining experience.

Out and proud: I have a very personal story to relate to this question. Several months after we bought Hawthorn’s, one of our employees was comfortable enough to come out of the closet. It was such a positive experience and I feel that the management and staff here are very open minded. Some are straight, some are gay – but everyone is respectful of one another. I think by being openly gay at work, you can inspire others to be themselves and enjoy their lives to the fullest.

Who is he? Government and Community Affairs, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 221

Community involvement: Pride at Work, co-chair; Stonewall Young Democrats, political vice-president; “No on Prop 8” Campaign, volunteer; San Diego Democratic Club, member

Motivation: Community service is transformative by nature. Being able to bring people along from a place of apathy to a state of political sentience is where I find my motivation. The GLBT community has been under assault for decades, but we’ve been able to prevail due to the resilience of our community.

Role models: I’m crazy about Larry Baza and Eric Banks-Consedine. As a fellow GLBT activist of color, Larry is nothing short of a pioneer in our community. Eric has the unique ability to translate visionary ideas into application, and has assumed the role of my mentor (unbeknownst to him).

Goals: Immediate Goals: Defeat Proposition 8, elect Barack Obama, Marty Block, Manuel Perez, Pam Bensoussan, Steve Casteneda, and Mona Rios without an extra wrinkle or gray hair incurred. Long-Term Goals: Aside from world domination? I’d like to get a master’s degree in Public Policy, and perhaps one day run for office.

Out and proud: My visibility at both work and home has been incredibly important. Being openly gay allows my family, friends, and colleagues to define our community not by the caricatures on TV, or by the stereotypes and stigmas that permeate their better judgment, but by the human being with whom they are most familiar.

Who is he? Marty Block for State Assembly, deputy field director; Stonewall Young Democrats, president

Community involvement: San Diego Democratic Club, youth caucus chair; Gay-Straight Alliance Network Governing Board, director; No on Prop 8, volunteer captain and people of color subcommittee member; Pride Resource Office at SDSU, outreach coordinator; 211 San Diego Emergency Disaster Relief, phone volunteer; Rotaract SDSU Chapter, member; Norman Blachford Point Foundation Scholar

Motivation: When I first came out, I was scared of not being able to continue pursuing my dreams. Being involved in the community has given me the opportunity to meet many older community members who are very successful and open about their sexuality. This drives me to continue to effect positive change.

Role models: Someone I admire, love and respect is Carl Medina. Carl is a driven person who sincerely believes being a nice person will get you as far as you need to go. He is a shining example that nice guys can finish first. He continuously reminds me to be the best person I can in order to do the best work I can do.

Goals: A short-term goal of mine is to make sure that the freedom to marry remains a fundamental right in California; we have less than two months until Election Day. A long-term goal of mine, most likely more than five years, is to be the first Latino gay Senator to represent California.

Out and proud: It is not important to be openly GLBT; what is important is for people to be honest about who they really are. I hope my candor inspires others to speak their own truths as well. This sincerity will lead people to a paradigm shift: we’re all different and don’t need to be the same to be respected equally.

Who is he? Coordinator of The Hillcrest Youth Center for The San Diego Community Center

Community involvement: San Diego Youth and Community Services; The Center Advocacy Project

Motivation: I am driven by a need to create positive change within the GLBT community. With all the hate and inequality in the world, I see my work at the Hillcrest Youth Center as the opposing, countering force. There is so much power in getting youth to believe in who they are, when many have told them they are nothing because of their sexual orientation. The potential to reach so many people in need is what keeps me moving forward.

Role models: I look up to the youth of the HYC. Despite any hardships they have faced from rejection, addiction, homelessness or homophobia, they still are able to pick themselves up and foster an optimism that keeps them alive. As a society, we would be so fortunate to emulate the bravery and self-awareness the GLBTQ youth today have.

Goals: In the next six months I plan on submitting my application for graduate school for a master’s degree in counseling moving toward becoming a marriage family therapist. Five years from now, I will have a private practice, downtown loft and I will be working with a nonprofit in some capacity wherever I am needed.

Out and proud: Being openly gay is the only way to create the change that is necessary in our society so our youth won’t have to fight the same battles the generations before them have. If I can increase tolerance just by being who I am, I will do so in every capacity, so my youth can grow up in a world that fully accepts them. No matter who or what you are, embracing yourself entirely is the only way to honestly succeed and live up to your full potential.

Who is he? San Diego City Council, District 3, candidate; U.S. Congresswoman Susan A. Davis, district director; San Diego Housing Commission, housing commissioner

Community involvement: The San Diego LGBT Community Center, past board chair; Mid City Prostitution Impact Panel, resident panelist; Hillcrest Clean Team, volunteer; Meals on Wheels, volunteer

Motivation: As a third generation San Diegan, I have a deep affection for our city and have spent my career doing what I can to make it better. From volunteering on campaigns as a kid to helping working families afford to live in San Diego as a Housing Commissioner, I’ve always felt it was my responsibility to be involved and contribute.

Role models: I’ve had numerous mentors along the way who helped guide me to make a positive impact on our community, but my parents are the two most potent role models in my life. My mom was a maid and my dad was a landscaper. Among the lessons they taught me was that if you care about something, you should do what you can to leave it better than you found it. I think this is what led me to a career in public service.

Goals: I am working hard to win the Nov. 4 election for City Council and that is my most immediate goal. In the long term, I hope to follow through on my parents’ admonition and work very hard to make San Diego a better place for everyone.

Out and proud: Being open about my orientation allows me to move past the issue of who I am and talk instead about what I will do. Voters should pick me because I’m the most qualified person for the job, and I will make sure their potholes get fixed and a cop is on their doorstep when they need one.

Who is he? Founder and CEO of Dorm2Dorm Inc. (www.dorm2dorm.com)

Community involvement: Promoter for Manic Monday at The Brass Rail

Motivation: From an early age, I was always one of the most competitive kids on any of my sports teams. I think through the years, the drive to succeed and choose my own path has grown on a daily basis. I wanted to determine my success or failure individually, thus my choice to be self-employed.

Role models: I’m going to have to join the masses and say my mother and father. Each playing a separate role, my father taught me the value of education and hard work, along with representing our family name to the best of my ability. On the other hand my mother taught me the value of balance, the work-hard/play-hard philosophy, and instilled in me a thirst for life.

Goals: I would like to see Dorm2Dorm grow from a small hundred-thousand operation into one in the millions, hopefully expanding into a nationwide company. Long term goals are always changing, but I feel as though material success doesn’t fulfill quite like philanthropy. I see myself jumping on that boat in the near future.

Out and proud: As soon as I was out in San Diego for my undergraduate studies I made a conscious decision to grasp onto my sexuality. It took a bit of time to get over, but at this point it’s second nature. I feel as though exposing and teaching more and more people about our culture helps in even the smallest of ways to potentially break that typical stereotype of what a gay man is.

Allies are important in our fight for equality. Their dedication to making a difference strengthens our community and increases its visibility. We’re proud to recognize two of our allies for their work in medical research and public relations; and for their consciousness of our community in their work.

Who is he? Instead Sciences, Inc., vice president, a women’s sexual and reproductive health research company that develops products, including the Softcup feminine hygiene product, Amphora and Buffergel microbicides, leaders in woman-controlled STI and HIV preventative lubricants, and other related women’s products aimed at giving women greater control of their sexual health.

Motivation: I live by the philosophy of “leave the world a better place than you found it.” As human beings, we have been given the responsibility and the power to affect the world in profound ways, and I wish to do my part, whatever it may be.

Role models: My father, a truly dedicated man who made a success of himself out of a humble upbringing. He is a continuing inspiration to me.

Goals: To bring our line of women’s healthcare products to market and offer women control of their sexual health and help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections. In the long term I would like to focus on the fields of carbon reduction and renewable energy technologies as I think this is the most important problem we, as a species, face today.

Why he’s an ally: Instead Sciences is a leader in HIV-preventative microbicide technology and other products that offer women greater control and freedom over their sexual health. I am proud to be a part of the wonderful team that makes up this company, and a true ally of the GLBT community.

Who is she? J Public Relations (JPR), partner, a select-service boutique agency specializing in high-end restaurant, hospitality, travel/tourism, entertainment, fashion, design and consumer products marketing and public relations; client roster includes W Hotels, Hard Rock Hotels, Nobu, Sheraton, Universal, Stingaree and Citysearch. Clients have been featured in including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Travel and Leisure, Lucky, “The Today Show,” GQ, Playboy, Daily Candy, and the Los Angeles Times

Community involvement: Mama’s Kitchen; AIDS Walk; La Cuna; Toussaint Academy; Passport To Style; The New Children’s Museum

Motivation: Knowing I can make a difference in a community and in the San Diego scene. I moved to San Diego in 2001 when the city was just really starting to develop, and many national brands were starting to pop up in the San Diego. My business partner Kim Julin Guyader and I saw a need for a niche public relations agency in the city and started J Public Relations. When we first started approaching national publications, many deemed San Diego not quite there or “not worthy” of national exposure. Things sure have changed a lot since; now San Diego is being taken seriously with many properties garnering coveted awards including Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List, MSN.com’s Top Nightclubs in the Country, and Top 53 Places to Travel in the World by The New York Times.

Role models: My two brothers Jeremy and Dustin; they are the definition of loyalty, and they help me keep perspective, reminding me not to take life so seriously. When I am in need of a good laugh I know they are only a phone call away.

Goals: To continue to make a significant impact on how the rest of the country views San Diego by shining the national media spotlight on our growing list of clients who are changing the shape of the city, further solidifying its reputation as a thriving, upscale urban destination.

Why she’s an ally: JPR has always remained committed to giving back and is proud of its work with organizations like Mama’s Kitchen and AIDS Walk. We believe that the GLBT community is a powerful group of consumers, and when working with our clients we always work to assure that we are bringing new nightlife, dining and entertainment options the market.