Virginia Uribe

This chapter chronicles the influences, contributions, insights, and the enduring legacy of Dr. Virginia Uribe (1933–2019). A career counselor, teacher, and fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) youth in Los Angeles, Uribe’s creation of Project 10 – an educational support network for LGBTQ+ youth housed in partnering California schools – represents the dedication Uribe exercised in her efforts to provide safe and supportive schools for LGBTQ+ youth amid widespread marginalization of homosexuality and queer people. Friends of Project 10 – a 501(c)(3) – grew out of Project 10’s work and united various stakeholders working toward justice for LGBTQ+ students. Uribe’s story, the awards she has received, and her defining legacy highlight the significant, heroic, and transformative work of career educators in the lives of not only LGBTQ+ students, but of all students. Although often overlooked and underrepresented in large-scale policy discussions, educators like Uribe represent those who are nonetheless motivated to radically question what exists and who radically hope to imagine a better, more just, and equitable society.