Tim’m West

Tim’m T. West (he/they) is an award-winning educator, poet, hip-hop artist, and advocate whose three-decade career bridges classrooms, concert stages, and community movements.

A graduate of Duke, The New School, and Stanford, he has transformed personal narrative into public service at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social justice.

Living openly with HIV since 1999, Tim’m has led national efforts to dismantle stigma through art, education, and mentorship—holding leadership roles with AID Atlanta, Houston’s St. Hope Foundation, and Chicago’s Center on Halsted. A former faculty member at The New School and Cal Poly Humboldt, he also launched Teach For America’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Initiative, shaping inclusion across 50+ regions.

Now Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, he advances youth advocacy, research, and intersectional leadership through programs like the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship, National Youth Advocacy Corps, and IGNYTE Symposium.

Widely recognized as a pioneer of queer hip hop and named one of 31 Icons of LGBT History Month, Tim’m recently received the Stanford Pride Trailblazer Award for his enduring commitment to equity and liberation.