Kimm Topping

Kimm Topping, (they/them/theirs) is an educator, writer, historian, and community organizer. They are the founder of Lavender Education, a national education program focused on celebrating LGBTQIA+ history, education, and youth leadership. From founding the first GSA in their hometown as a young person to now mentoring youth leaders and supporting educators, Topping has always been passionate about building the confidence of others to lead social change.

For over ten years, Topping has worked closely with schools and organizations on creating more inclusive, liberatory spaces for all LGBTQ+ youth to thrive. Prior to founding Lavender Education, Topping managed the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ students in Massachusetts, a program of DESE. They currently lecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with specializations in gender, sexuality, and equity. In 2023, they received the inaugural in-service award from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition recognizing their decade of service to Boston’s trans community.

Topping’s first full-length book, Generation Queer, is a non-fiction book that highlights the stories of LGBTQIA+ youth activists forthcoming from Tu Books, an imprint from Lee & Low Books (2025). Their historic work, including walking tours of Cambridge and New York City, centers queer and feminist activism of the 1970s-1990s. Topping’s series of publications, Mapping Feminist Cambridge, is available for free from the Cambridge Women’s Commission.