Embodying light and love as an LGBTQ changemaker

Teen Vogue recently published GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 LGBTQ Changemakers of 2025, and Auggie Dante Austin ’29 made the list. This recognition highlights their work within the ELCA, including through advocacy at Churchwide Assembly. Before starting at Augsburg, Austin worked as the primary script writer for their family podcast “Sacred Storytime With Pastor Priscilla.”

We asked Austin about their journey to Augsburg, their ministry, and what being named a 2025 LGBTQ changemaker means to them.

What brought you to Augsburg?

I am so glad that I found my way to Augsburg, because I have found a community here that I absolutely adore. It baffles me that I hadn’t heard of Augsburg sooner. I came to Augsburg for two reasons. One, because I received an amazing financial aid package, which allowed me to afford to attend university. And two, because it’s a Lutheran university, which really appealed to me, since my mother is an ELCA Lutheran pastor. My mother and I took the train out here all the way from the west coast in Washington. It was a long journey, but so worth it for all the love I have found in both the people and the physical spaces Augsburg has.

What was it like to be featured on the GLAAD 20 Under 20 list honoring exceptional LGBTQ youth?

Being one of GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 is a huge honor. It has been such a joy to receive recognition for the work I’ve been doing in my community and in the church. And it has been such a privilege to share more about this work on a larger scale and raise awareness of all the intersections the church holds. There are queer folx in the church; there are people of color in the church. We are here, and we are the church. I have grown up with my mother as my pastor, a woman of color. I have grown up surrounded by the diversity of the Lutheran church, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I wish everyone could see the beauty that is God’s love in action. I’m excited to have this accolade with me as I continue to do this work.

“It is absolutely possible to be a person of faith and have a queer identity. In fact, for me, those two identities are intertwined and irretrievably linked.” —Dante Austin ’29 in Teen Vogue

How do you see your faith and your queer identity as being linked?

For me, there has never been a separation between my queerness and my faith. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve struggled with my identity and my belief system before. But when I think about these two parts of myself, they are more similar than they have ever been different. I know that I, along with everyone and everything else in this world, am made in God’s image. For me, that means being Black, being queer, being Hispanic, being everything that I am without shame or regret. I am proud to be who I am, and that is a faithful and queer person of color. I know that God created me this way, to be living proof of intersectionality and to “be light and love that the world so desperately needs,” as Augsburg University Pastor Babette Chatman ’06 says.

What does your ministry look like?

I have primarily worked with children, youth, and families in the church. I feel called to make the word of God accessible to the most marginalized among us. And oftentimes, there is not much representation for children who grow up in the church, or for them to see the Bible stories portrayed in ways they can connect with. I show up with all of my marginalized identities to be a visible advocate for others. I want to show children that they can participate in church leadership if they so choose, or at the very least, see someone who looks like them, someone they feel comfortable speaking to leading in worship—whether it be reading, singing, or assisting in any other way—and sharing the word of God through a minority lens.

What are your dreams for the church?

My dream is for the church to act out its faith in the world; to be the hands and feet of Christ; to display the love of the gospel; and to uplift the voices of the most marginalized or minimized in our community. I see my dreams slowly being realized every day—in Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry and Secretary [Lucille “CeCee”] Mills, in the work I do with my family on our podcast, “Sacred Storytime With Pastor Priscilla,” and in daily chapel with Pastor Babette Chatman. Slowly but surely, we are changing the church for the better; we are building tables to commune, not barriers; and we are inviting in, not pushing out. The church has always been a home for me, and I dream of a day when, whether someone believes or not, no one feels afraid or rejected when they enter a place of worship. I dream that spaces of praise to God are places where all of God’s creation feel safe to rest and be in community with one another.

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Top image: Dante Austin ’29 was named a 20 Under 20 LGBTQ changemaker by GLAAD. (Photo by Courtney Perry)