This Volunteer Spotlight story originally appeared in AFSP's 2024 Annual Report. To read other inspiring Volunteer Spotlight stories, and to learn more about our work, click here.
Coming from a deeply religious family involved in mission work and realizing at the age of 11 that she was gay and would have to keep it a secret or try to “pray it away,” Kris Williams knows what it’s like to grow up feeling different. Having spent years running from her feelings, at the age of 22 she confided to a therapist about experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors — and her desire to be seen and loved, unable to hide her identity anymore.
Kris has now worked in mental health and social services for over twenty-five years, and made it her mission through AFSP to become a source of love and support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, a designation in which “2S” indicates the Indigenous term “Two-Spirit,” referring to those who identify as having both a masculine and feminine spirit. As a queer youth leader and advocate, her aim has been to create a community similar to her childhood church, but founded on inclusion and diversity, working with 2SLGBTQ+ youth and their families. Along with being a Talk Saves Lives presenter and planning the chapter’s Big Gay Hope fundraising event, Kris spoke at Oklahoma’s State Capitol Day, giving a voice to 2SLGBTQ+ youth in opposition to discriminatory legislation, and in support of funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“A colleague of mine talked me into joining the chapter board in Oklahoma. She knew I had a strong voice for 2SLGBTQ+ youth and wanted to amplify that in suicide prevention, because it is such an important issue in my community. If I’ve learned anything over the past couple of decades, it is that my experience was not isolated, and that others were struggling to be seen, loved, cherished, and fighting for their next breath. I have learned that my voice has power and our voice has power.
Advocating at the Oklahoma State capital as a representative of AFSP was a pivotal moment in which we worked together to bring the necessary funds to Oklahoma to increase mental health services, and raise our voices for 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
I truly believe we are leading this cause because of the advocacy that AFSP does. Advocacy doesn’t just happen at the Capitol. Through the work we do through our chapter, we bring the community together to celebrate our loved ones and figure out how to best use our voices, together.”