YOUTH PROGRAM COORDINATOR
he / him / él
[email protected]

BIO
​Born and raised in Southern Illinois, Benito has been involved with Rainbow Cafe's queer community for the majority of his life as a young trans person. He has been the leading force behind many of RC's expansive programs such as Transitions and elevate, and now acts as Rainbow Cafe's full-time Youth Programming Coordinator, head of the Diversity Committee, and community librarian.

As YPC, Benito is Rainbow Cafe's personal educator for RC Academy, a free program at youth programs like Drop-In and elevate where he teaches accessible allyship, queer-centered sex ed, queer history, and other courses. He's also in charge of youth events like the annual Youth Halloween Bash, New Year's Eve Party, Night of Noise, and various competitions, field trips, and the Southern Illinois GSA Network. As head of Rainbow Cafe's Diversity Committee, Benito is committed to shaking up both Rainbow Cafe and Southern Illinois queer spaces to make them supportive, affirming, and welcoming to queer people of color through various events and collaborations. Additionally, in his spare time, Benito is also in charge of RC's social media platforms like Discord, the website, community library, and helps plan other large Rainbow Cafe events like Queermas, Pride Prom, and marches/rallies.