Steve Snyder-Hill shares his story of advocating for the rights of sexual abuse survivors and shares how we can all be better advocates against corruption.
Long-time LGBTQ+ activist Steve Snyder-Hill was a much lauded speaker for The Ohio State University’s TEDx program where he was celebrated for speaking his truth. However, the university’s opinions changed when Steve had to turn his activism into advocacy for sexual abuse survivors who suffered at the hands of a doctor employed by OSU. When he realized the coverup the university had engaged in, he fought back. In his talk, he shares the story of fighting against a corrupt system for change. He also provides the audience with insights to consider about how they might fight corruption in their own communities.
About the speaker
When "Don't Ask, Don't Tell;' the official U.S. policy on gays serving in the military, was repealed in September 2011, soldier Stephen Snyder-Hill (then Captain Hill) was serving in Iraq. Having endured years of this policy, which passively encouraged a culture of fear and secrecy for gay soldiers, Snyder-Hill submitted a video to a Republican primary debate held two days after the repeal. In the video, he asked for the Republicans' thoughts regarding the repeal and their plans, if any to extend spousal benefits to legally married gay and lesbian soldiers.
His video was booed by the audience on national television.
Stephen wrote the book: Soldier of Change: From the Closet to the Forefront of the Gay Rights Movement. Snyder- Hill and has traveled the country with his husband, giving interviews on major news networks and speaking at universities, community centers, and pride parades, a champion of LGBT equality.
In 2015 The Ohio State University asked Steve Snyder-Hill, an activist and author to come and be the main headliner for their TedX event. His speech on the theme of the Human Narrative was powerful and his talk was titled Trust the Power of Your Voice. OSU celebrated the use of his voice to evoke change...until they realized that he was one of the hundreds of students who were sexually abused at the hands of Richard Strauss, their employee. Once Steve made this connection and realized OSU was trying to silence him, he stayed true to his spirit and used the power of his voice, this time to fight them.
Steve's incredible story as a survivor of sexual assault and advocate for truth is being made into a documentary for HBO, produced by George Clooney’s production company.
We’re honored he’ll be sharing this story with us, first.
Stephen Snyder-Hill joined the military in 1988 and was deployed in 1990 for Operation Desert Storm. He went into the US Army reserves and was redeployed twenty years later in 2010 for Operation New Dawn. Throughout his military career Snyder-Hill received numerous awards and decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal.
Steve eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Dietetics, and minored in Exercise Physiology at The Ohio State University. He retired in 2019 as a Major in the US Army Reserve and works as a Dietitian at Columbus Public Health in Columbus, Ohio.
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