Ash Bulmer is a political activist, with a primary emphasis on gun violence and rights for members of the LGBTQ community.  Ash says, “Activism is a huge part of who I am, and I try to be sure that the issues I face are spoken about by my friends and family in my community.”  Ash is an active member of Students Demand Action (SDA), the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), and the Environmental Club.

Shortly after the May 2022 Uvalde shooting, in which 19 students and 2 teachers were gunned down, there was a nation-wide walkout.  Ash worked with the other leaders of the newly formed SDA club and members of Moms Demand Action to organize the walkout from Hayfield.  Over 800 Hayfield students joined in the demonstration.

Last October Ash, working with other members of GSA, organized a walkout for LGBTQ rights.  This walkout took place after Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin attempted to pass the model policies, a series of new policies which, he said, were intended to give parents more rights.

The policies stated that students without written permission would not be allowed to use the name, pronouns, or bathroom they preferred if their gender identity did not match with their sex assigned at birth.  This presents a particular problem for students whose parents or legal guardians do not accept their sexual identity, because they are not able to get the necessary permission to have a safe space at school.  Transgender students must either confront their parents, and run the danger of being physically punished or disowned, or feel uncomfortable because their teachers or school administrators use the name and pronouns they no longer identify with. Almost 900 students at Hayfield participated, along with students at over 100 schools across Virginia.  Ash says, “This mass walkout, as well as the 18000 comments made during the commenting period, has led to the policies being delayed, but the fight is not over and there is still a chance for these policies to be enacted.”

Ash feels that walkouts are the best way for young people to have a political voice.  “Many of us don’t have cars to get to other protests, and we can’t vote for elected officials to make our change. We feel that we cannot rely on people to do the work that needs to be done. I feel our generation has focused on being the change we want to see in the world, and that necessitates forcing adults to hear our voices. If we can't go out and vote, we can scream and scream until people decide to listen.”