Are you questioning your sexual orientation or gender identity?
Do you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender and want a safe place to talk and be yourself?
Spectrum is currently hosting a Support Group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth. Spectrum's work with LGBTQ youth spans nearly three decades of support and advocacy in Marin County. We've seen thousands of young people pass through over the years, finding friendship and courage from us -- and from each other -- as they face a world full of opposition to their questions about what it means to be queer.
The group is held every second Wednesday of the month, 5PM to 6:30PM, at the Spectrum LGBT Center in San Rafael.
All youth between the ages of 14 and 19 are welcome to attend!
For more information call (415) 472-1945 x 203.
MAKE IT BETTER, MARIN
Doug Williams, a 2007 graduate of San Marin High School in Novato, California, shares his thoughts on how superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents can make school a better place for LGBQ students -- which ultimately, means a better place for all students.
From a former Spectrum youth program participant:
"I grew up here in Marin. I've always loved it here, the warm sweeping green and golden hills encircle you and the fog drifting in off of the bay makes everything seem close and safe. Sometimes though, that safety can also feel isolating. People tend to live their lives in their own circles and go home to their own families.
"When I came to realize that I was queer at 13, I had little idea what came next. Even after coming out to friends and family at 14, I felt a bit like I had wandered out to the center of a field by myself. Everyone I knew at the time was straight, and even though they were very supportive, they couldn't help me feel less strange about this new part of myself. That year I found my way to Spectrum. Although I was nervous to talk about my experience coming out with strangers, I was also quite relieved. Relieved that someone could do more than just listen and nod sympathetically, that they could say "Yeah, me too" when I talked about being queer. That simple act of sharing the day-to-day of growing up, and helping others on their journey out of the closet saved me, a little bit at a time, over and over again.
"These days I speak with Spectrum's Speakers Bureau, which is cathartic in many of the same ways. It has required me to pay close attention to my community, and has afforded me the privilege of seeing how hearts and minds are beginning to change, and to be some small part of that. While I am still shy about sharing my story, it is the best way I know of to ferret out the strangeness, telling it over and over in subtle variation, holding it up to the light until I can see every bit of it."
