GINA YOUNG
Is an award-winning writer, songwriter, and director..
Whose work is defined by emotional depth, fearless storytelling, and an unwavering commitment to authenticity. As a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community, she has dedicated her creative life to telling stories that illuminate the human experience, giving voice to characters and perspectives that deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
Raised on the East Coast, Gina brings a distinctive blend of compassion, resilience, and artistic vision to every project she creates. Whether writing a screenplay, composing a song, or directing a film, she approaches her work with remarkable sensitivity, crafting narratives that explore love, identity, belonging, and life's complexities with honesty and heart.
Beyond her impressive list of creative accomplishments, Gina is admired for the person she is. Talented, caring, and deeply loving, she has earned the respect of colleagues and audiences alike through her generosity of spirit, collaborative nature, and genuine belief in the power of art to inspire connection and understanding.
Her warmth extends far beyond the screen and the stage, making her not only an accomplished artist but also a meaningful presence within the LGBTQI+ community.
THE INTERVIEW
Dezert Light: Where were you born, and what are some of your earliest memories of growing up there?
Gina Young: Thank you so much for your kind words. I was born and raised in Washington, DC, and my apartment building was on a big intersection with a turning circle that had a fountain in it. Cars were always accidentally crashing into the fountain; it was always broken in some way. But on hot summer days, we would run across the street–careful not to get hit–and jump in the fountain and swim like it was our own swimming pool. Lots of broken glass in there sometimes, haha; you had to be careful. I have memories of swimming in that fountain, playing on the grassy hill of my apartment building that had these giant, terrifying hornets burrowing in it–we called them ‘dinohornets’ because they seemed prehistoric–and walking down Connecticut Avenue to the movie theater or the diner with my brother when we were old enough to have our own money to spend.
Dezert Light: You wear many creative hats: writer, songwriter, and director. Which role feels most like home, and why?
Gina Young: These days I mostly identify as a writer. I toured as a singer/songwriter for a very long time and am about to do a mini-tour–six shows in August 2026–that you can find on my website (www.ginayoung.com). I have a lot of music that you can listen to on Spotify, but I’ll be fully honest that I haven’t picked up my guitar as often lately. These days I’m more inclined to write plays and solo shows. I started as an actor, actually, but I often found myself frustrated at being cast in the limited ways that other people saw me, instead of getting to express my personal truths. I realized that this made me a writer–which should have been obvious from my lifetime of obsessive journaling and zine-making. I realized I wanted to be the one sculpting the stories.
Dezert Light: Every artist has an origin story. What first inspired you to pursue a life in the arts?
Gina Young: I grew up with parents who filled our home with music and were professional musicians themselves, while also teaching and having a family. They made me feel that having a life in the arts was normal and reasonable and possible. I am very, very lucky for that. As life went on, I’ve met many brilliantly talented people who had to face discouragement in the home–parents who wouldn’t let them be artists, or didn’t see the value of art. That’s really hard, because being an artist is already so challenging. Family encouragement can make such a difference. I think all people should support each other’s creativity more, and I love that I am surrounded by friends who are huge champions of each other’s work.
Dezert Light: As an LGBTQI+ creator, how has your identity influenced your voice and the stories you feel compelled to tell?
Gina Young: For me, being queer is deeply intertwined with being an artist. The first stories I wanted to tell, the first songs I wanted to write, the first plays I wanted to script, all came from feeling different, from knowing that my experience was outside of the norm and wanting to connect with other people who felt the same way. Every story I tell is queer, and it’s not even intentional; it’s not like I intellectually make that choice or set out for it to be that way. That’s just my experience and the perspective that I can offer. They say to write what you know, so I’ve written about queer femmes experiencing solidarity and jealousy and compassion; I’ve written about age gap lesbian/nonbinary relationships; I’ve written about coming out at a Catholic all-girls school… things that are part of my history and fascinations, that also happen to be very underrepresented experiences.
Dezert Light: What is the first thing you look for when developing a new story, character, or song?
Gina Young: Sometimes I am looking for a deep emotional truth. Sometimes I just want to have fun. Above all, I think I’m always looking to connect, to make work that others can see themselves in or that will have them thinking about something they maybe hadn’t considered before.
Dezert Light: What does success mean to you today compared to when you first began your career?
Gina Young: When I first began my career, I would write out a new five-year plan every year. I was very structured with myself when it came to my goals and what I wanted to accomplish. And I will say it worked… I would typically follow through on everything I wrote down, unless it was something completely beyond my control. Nowadays, I’m a lot softer with myself; I try to take on fewer projects and live a simpler life. But my definition of success remains the same: I am a success if I follow through on the things I set out to do–that’s the part that’s within my control. And then the part that’s out of my control, but that I do consider very profound success, is if my work has meaning to some people out there. Like when I get messages from young people around the world saying that my music or my writing has helped them accept themselves, or feel seen.
Dezert Light: Who are the writers, filmmakers, musicians, or mentors who have most inspired your artistic journey?
Gina Young: I was very inspired by riot grrrl music in the 90s; it really helped me find my voice and fight back against sexism and homophobia. And I am feeling very inspired right now that there is a huge riot grrrl resurgence happening. All of these younger riot grrrl bands are popping up all over the country–they’re so amazing, truly, and the movement is even more intersectional than it was the first time around. One of the newer riot grrrl bands–Mac N Toss–is the reason I’m doing this whole tour this summer. We’re playing six shows together, on the east and west coasts, and it’s going to be wild. I am so inspired by them, and the community they are building, and how hard they work to build it through shows and activism.
Dezert Light: What is Buch Ballet?
Gina Young: BUTCH BALLET is a movement-theatre piece that I created as a love letter to mascs. It recently had a sold-out run at Outside In Theatre in Highland Park in June of 2026. It explores several facets of butch and masc identity with a cast of butch lesbians, transmasculine and nonbinary mascs, and takes on our political climate in this country, in which there are over 500 anti-LGBTQI+ bills introduced at the state level. The show was many years in the making, and I would love to bring it to other cities in the future.
Dezert Light: Creativity often requires vulnerability. How do you protect your own well-being while continuing to create honest, emotionally rich work?
Gina Young: I’m not sure I always succeed, haha. It can be incredibly vulnerable to put a piece of writing out into the world, and collaborators or audience members can sometimes give a flippant piece of feedback that really stings. Fortunately, I’ve been doing this long enough to be okay with people having their own experience of the work. It’s only fair that if I have strong opinions on the art that I witness, others should be allowed to have strong opinions on my work. I’m my own harshest critic too, but that’s okay. My feeling is always, “on to the next.”
Dezert Light: Finally, if you could leave the readers of Dezert Light with one message about creativity, authenticity, love, and living a meaningful life, what would it be?
Gina Young: Make the thing that’s been nagging at you. If you’re feeling that call to put a piece of art into the world, it will be one of the most meaningful things you ever do.