GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

JUNE 5, 1998

Do a good deed

To the Editors:

COMMUNITY FORUM

A few others and I have gotten together to fight the homophobia of the Boy Scouts of America in Summit County. We would like to be contacted by other like-minded people. So far we have picketed Boy Scout events, written letters, and made phone calls.

If you are interested and willing to work to fight homophobia in this area of our society, please contact me at 330-865-0711.

Thomas J. Reke

Akron

Community Forum

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SPEAK OUT

Youth find strength, support in groups

by Jen Kruger Cleveland-"We're here, we're queer, we're organized, and we're marching!" The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth movement expressed this message loudly when 7,500 lgbt youth took to the streets of Boston on May 16 to celebrate Gay and Straight Youth Pride Day in Massachusetts.

The march was sponsored by the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, a group that was instrumental in funding 140 high school gay-straight alliances in the state of Massachusetts.

The participating youth not only put a face to the issues of lgbt youth, but also established themselves as a critical mass

Ohio youth groups

Akron lesbigay youth support:

330-258-3652 Cincinnati Youth Group: 513-684-8405

Columbus Kaleidoscope Youth Group:

800-291-9190

Cleveland PRYSM:

216-522-1999

Dayton Youth Quest:

937-640-3333

Toledo Rainbow Area Youth-

of grassroots supporters of queer youth issues. Their visibility helped to raise awareness around their need for support and services. The empowerment that they get from knowing they are not alone helps to remove the feelings of marginalization and isolation.

In the state of Ohio there are many groups for lgbt youth that focus on support, empowerment, and organizing. Such groups can be found in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo.

The Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Cleveland is committed to improving the lives of Northeast Ohio's lgbt youth through our PRYSM program (Presence and Respect for Youth in Sexual Minority).

419-327-8686

National Gay and Lesbian Youth Hotline:

800-347-8336

I have had the pleasure of working with many creative, talented, outspoken, and intelligent youth that truly are invested in creating change for themselves and their peers. For all the challenges and obstacles that lie in their path, they still manage to find their way to PRYSM. When they come to the group for the first time, there is often apprehension and fear. One young lesbian said, "I wasn't sure what to expect and felt unsure about who I would meet at group."

When young people come to the group a few more times, they find that their self-confidence steadily grows, along with their self-understanding and community awareness. They make friends, find support, and make the connection.

The PRYSM group sent two youth to represent Cleveland at the First Annual Midwest Regional Conference for LGBT Youth, held recently in Chicago. One youth who attended the conference said, "It was cool to be around other young activists and to hear what they are doing in their communities."

Both of the youth returned to Cleveland re-energized and full of new ideas. For many of these kids, their

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activism comes from their willingness to be true to themselves and the refusal to conform to someone else's expectations.

The youth are coming out at younger ages then ever before. The youngest youth at PRYSM started coming at the age of thirteen. Increased awareness is forcing our youth to come face-to-face with the homophobia that runs deep in our society. In order for these kids to positively fight the homophobia, they need a safe and supportive environment in which they can explore these issues.

The next battleground for the youth movement is in the schools. Establishing gaystraight alliances (like in Massachusetts) would be beneficial for all youth. The alliances help to bridge the gap between misconceptions and understanding.

In the Cleveland area, there are two gaystraight alliances that continually struggle to remain in existence due to lack of administrative support. Every high school should include a gay-straight alliance to establish safe and equitable learning for all youth. The push for these alliances must come from the youth. Unfortunately, many of the kids find their school environments to be hostile and threatening. As more and more kids come out, they will begin to establish a strong contingency with a strong voice. There really is strength in numbers.

Along with peer education there must also be an effort to reach teachers, administrators, counselors, and even bus drivers. These folks are responsible for establishing the expectations and protocol of a school system. We need to give them the tools and resources in order for them to positively interact with lgbt youth and their issues.

The Center had established the SSAFE Program (Safe Schools are for Everyone) for that specific purpose. One of the key components of the SSAFE training is to have lgbt youth speak in their own voices on a panel in order to raise awareness and to educate. Working to change the school environment from hostile to supportive will encourage our youth to fully develop all of their talents and skills.

The question "Where do you think the queer youth movement is headed" was raised during one of our PRYSM meetings. The responses that followed were as diverse as the composition of group. Many of the youth felt their role is to continue to challenge society's inequalities and fight for legal protections. The hardest step they felt was coming out to themselves and their peers.

"Once I learned to accept myself, I found the strength to combat the homophobia around me," said a 17-year-old bisexual male.

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An 18-year-old male felt "the biggest obstacle that gay youth needed to overcome was the stigma that the movement is only about sexual liberation."

He felt the youth of today needed to be looking farther down the road toward tomorrow. Tomorrow's horizon looms brightly ahead for our youth. All the potential and possibilities lie ahead just waiting for them to take hold. I would like to see the lgbt youth of Ohio organize themselves in order to find their strength in numbers and the power of their voices combining into a united front.

Jen Kruger is PRYSM youth group coordinator of the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center.

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