Home Stretch
With only 4 days left to go, we’re 69% to our goal! Help support the expansion of We Are the Youth to the Midwest and donate what you can. We know circumstances have changed a lot in the last few years, but every dollar gets us closer to our goal, and we are grateful for whatever you can give. We can’t thank you enough for all your support so far.
-Laurel + Diana
CELEBRATING QUEER BROOLKYN
We Are the Youth: Celebrating Queer Brooklyn is a series of portraits and interviews showcasing the individual stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in Brooklyn, New York. The ongoing series will be available on wearetheyouth.org, and four of the profiles will be on view from July 17 – July 28, 2012 at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, as part of the Fresh Fruit Festival.
We Are the Youth: Celebrating Queer Brooklyn has been made possible through the generosity of Brooklyn Arts Council’s Local Arts Support grant, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program (NYSCA Regrant), and through a partnership with Housing Works.
Donate Today!
Help share the amazing stories of LGBT youth in the United States
We’re at the halfway mark of our fundraising campaign so let’s get rolling! Donate to our Kickstarter until Sept. 12 and help expand the project to the Midwest and Beyond. Every dollar really does make a difference, so take that coffee money and donate it to a good cause (the We Are the Youth project)!
Mars
Mars, Age 18, Brooklyn, New York
I decided I wanted to go to School of Visual Arts in sixth grade. I thought I wanted to do interior design. My mom had a lot of HGTV going on around the house. Then I realized that required a lot of architecture, and I was awful with math, and didn’t really like choosing throw pillows. So I changed my mind. But then I realized SVA’s photography program was a lot better than their interior design program.
Seeing Catherine Opie’s “Being and Having” series made me want to be a photographer. I’m going to try to do photography as long as I can. Going to school for photo, nothing’s more apparent than how competitive it is. But I’ve never really considered anything else. I’m just going to hope it works out.
My work was featured on Autostraddle in their Artist Attack Spotlight. The funniest was this website Queerie Bradshaw made a list of seven semi-celebrities they wanted to sleep with while they were single, and I was number six. (more…)
To the Midwest and Beyond!
We Are the Youth began in June 2010 when Laurel and Diana began documenting the incredible stories of LGBT youth in America. Through donated time and generous supporters, We Are the Youth has been able to provide a space where young voices can be heard. As the project expands to cover areas less traveled, we need your help! Donate to our Kickstarter campaign to help us reach our goal of $7,000 in one month, or make a tax deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Brooklyn Arts Council.
We Are the Youth Co-Founders on WDFH!
Check out the latest Outcasting episode featuring We Are the Youth co-founders, Laurel and Diana! Big thanks to We Are the Youth participant, Travis for making this happen!
On this thirteenth edition of OutCasting, We Are the Youth co-founders, Diana Scholl and Laurel Golio talk with Travis about the We Are the Youth project. Diana and Laurel started the project to address the lack of visibility of LGBT young people. By chronicling the individual stories of LGBT youth in the United States and providing a space for youth to share stories in an honest and respectful way, the project has opened the door for touching stories that reveal a lot about the daily lives of LGBT youth.
OutCasting is a new public radio program giving voice to LGBTQ youth issues. It can be heard on WDFH Westchester Public Radio, the only public radio station in the lower Hudson valley.
Travis
Travis, Age 16, Chappaqua, New York
I decided to come out in 8th grade when all the girls wanted to be like Carrie on Sex and the City and have the gay best friend. My favorite way to come out was to say, “Remember how you wanted a gay best friend?” then I’d say, “I was hoping that would be me.” I completely took advantage of my sexual orientation. Not having a lot of friends at the time, I thought that was a brilliant idea.
Since then, I’ve figured out how to make friends and get over the awkwardness of middle school. My dad said how proud he was of me for becoming more socially acceptable. I think it all just comes back to figuring out who I am.
We Are the Youth Featured in Testimony Group Show
We’re thrilled to announce that We Are the Youth will be featured in Testimony: A Living Exhibition of Queer Youth, showing at Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art. The show is on view from July 18-28, 2012 and is part of the 10th Annual Fresh Fruit Festival!
Join us for the Opening Night Reception, Wednesday July 18, 6-9pm.
Hope to see you there!
Kat
I love me some comedy. I’ve always loved watching comedy, but I didn’t discover how much I love performing it until I went to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade theater. My very first experience with long-form improv was a show called “Death By Roo-Roo: Your F’d Up Family.” It was really screwed up and morbid. I was like, “Sign me up for a class!” When I started taking classes, I became funnier, more quick-witted, but most importantly, more confident. I finally had an outlet in which I could truly be myself.
I definitely want to go into comedic acting. I’ve wanted to be an actress since I was five years old. If we pretend that my GPA hasn’t been completely screwed over by my not being able to go to school most of this year, I’d like to major in drama in college.
I’ve missed so much school that I have to make up four months of work over the summer. I was in an acute psychiatric hospital. In layman’s terms, the wacky shack. I have Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. I’ve attempted suicide before. This time, I knew I didn’t want to die, but I was just in so much pain that I couldn’t find any other way to escape. I was in danger, and didn’t want to hurt the people around me, so I checked myself in. Much of it is chemical imbalance, rather than environmental. Actually, none of my mental issues come from the fact that I’m queer, so maybe that’s a somewhat screwed up sign of progress? I’m very comfortable with my sexuality.
(more…)
Guest blogger Eric talks the Queer Nebraska Youth Networks
Eric Juszyk, chief administrator of the Gay Nebraska Youth Network, guest blogs a rundown of the great work his group is doing in Omaha. Follow Eric on Twitter @ericjuszyk.
Growing up as LGBTQ in the Midwest can be difficult, especially in conservative states like Nebraska. The youth in rural and agricultural communities are often isolated and have few legitimate resources for forming new friendships and interacting with the larger LGBTQ community.
In May of 2010 I learned about the Gay Nebraska Youth Network when the founder, Drew Heckman, returned to Omaha after his freshman year at Brown University. Drew was astounded at the vibrant community in Providence and sought to create an environment back in his home state where youth can interact with each other in a safe and positive manner.
The Gay Nebraska Youth Network was formed as a youth-focused, peer-led organization that seeks to connect high school and college LGBTQ students statewide with social activities, opportunities to form new relationships, and connections to resources. A secret Facebook page is used to promote social interaction and the sharing of relevant issues while protecting the identity of its members and ideas while a public page is used to publicize our organization to the larger straight and ally communities. Additionally we match the virtual interactions with real life social events held at a variety of locations across the state.
Some members from the Queer Nebraska Youth Networks
at Nebraska AIDS Project’s Condom Fashion Show,
with the dress and accessories we designed!
Jahmal
I moved out of my family house my junior year of high school. I was doing a lot of outside things my family didn’t agree with, and they gave me the ultimatum. At that point, I could support myself through ballet and modeling for the adult entertainment industry. Ironically, the modeling was also the thing they didn’t agree with.
I started modeling when a promoter saw me at the club in Cincinnati, where I grew up. At first, I did a lot of underwear modeling, and after I turned 18 I started doing nude photography.
I was very hesitant at first, because at that point I had started developing myself professionally as a dancer. And nude photography can tear someone’s career apart. I don’t do it anymore, because I’m even further in my career as a dancer. People started to notice me from some of the modeling work I was doing. Even recently, a well-known dancer came across something, and it made me scared a little bit that she saw something I did years ago. (more…)
