Family Life
Matthew Aaron Shrader was born Matthew Aaron Francis on August 1st, 1986 to Mart and Pam Francis in Olympia, Washington. A lifelong citizen of Washington, Shrader spent most of his youth in Olympia and Shelton. Shrader started his coming out journey at the age of 18 and came out to his mother only 6 months before her passing. In 2010, Shrader changed his last name from Francis to Shrader in honor of his late mother. Shrader is very close with his Grandma Judith Shrader, his Aunt Kimberleigh Amarige, and his Uncles Jim Francis & John Sullivan.
Speaking Career
Shrader enjoys talking to youth, college students, teachers, professors and school administrators about LGBTQ activism, inclusion, and equality. He hopes to inspire those he comes in contact with to make a difference in their local communities one person at a time.
Shrader has experience facilitating workshops at the Power of One Conference and the Queer Students of Color Conference. He was also invited to speak to the administration of Saint Martin’s University on LGBTQ inclusion on college campuses. He has spoken to and made presentations to many administrative groups within the Washington State Community & Technical College system on the importance of collecting demographic information on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Also a polished public speaker, Shrader has had the high honor of speaking at and introducing Governor Christine Gregoire at the Washington State All Academic Team Ceremony (2011). The graduation speaker for the SPSCC class of 2012, Shrader spoke on the diversity of the graduating class and how they worked together to accomplish many things both individually and as a community. He has also made many community speeches in his role as Co-Chair of Capital City Pride.[
Community Leadership
Shrader has worked with many LGBTQ groups since coming out and has always tried to make improvements while leaving his mark. He was especially humbled when GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) Washington State honored him as Community Leader of the Year.
As Co-Chair for Capital City Pride (CCP), the second largest pride celebration in Washington State; he gave youth a voice during CCP 2012 by creating a LGBTQ youth talent segment to the main stage entertainment schedule and pushing local organizations to collaborate on a youth dance in Olympia during CCP weekend.
Having served as both Secretary and Chair for the Mpowerment Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises the Olympia, Washington HIV/AIDS prevention program Mpowerment; Shrader continues to build community experience and connections while fighting HIV/AIDS.
Other experiences and community leadership roles Shrader has had include: being an active member of the SPSCC Queer Straight Alliance (QSA); established and fundraises for the first LGBTQ & Ally Scholarship at SPSCC; organized the first blood drive in Washington State that encouraged people to donate blood on behalf of Men who Sleep with Men (MSM) who cannot donate blood due to FDA policy; and successfully advocated for additional gender neutral bathrooms at SPSCC;
Shrader served two years on the SPSCC Student Senate, ensuring that all LGBTQ students had a voice and representation. During his tenure on the Student Senate, SPSCC took huge strides forward in LGBTQ equality and inclusion. Shrader takes pride in lending an ear to all people and imparting knowledge and experiences he has to better those around.
Academic Career
Before launching his community service career, Shrader worked for four years in retail management. He was fired due to standing up for himself while suffering sexual orientation harassment. This inspired him to go to college and try to make positive changes in his community.
Shrader graduated from South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) in June of 2012, receiving an Associate of Arts degree with emphasis in Political Science and Economics. Shrader served two terms on the SPSCC Student Senate and was honored as the 2012 Graduate of the Year.
Shrader now attends the University of Washington where he is majoring in Political Science and minoring in Human Rights. He expects to graduate in June of 2014.
Matthew A. Shrader Speaks 