Yesterday, I had the honor to address the Youth Outlook graduates, Class of 2020. It was our first Lavender ceremony; typically we attend when the schools have them and invite us. Since we knew many of our drop-in center members were not going to be able to attend a commencement, let alone a Lavender ceremony […]
Posts Tagged ‘Youth Outlook’
Lavender Graduates, Class of 2020
Posted: 17th May 2020 by admin in BlogTags: #LGBT youth, education, Lavender graduation, Youth Outlook
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You Were Always My Favorite
Posted: 20th January 2018 by admin in BlogTags: appreciation, Brene Brown, John Maxwell, leadership, team, vulnerable, Youth Outlook
I make lots of references to the folks I work with on both my personal and my work Facebook pages, often talking about them in terms of being “the dream team” and how proud I am of them and of our work together. I make jokes about how we’re never the team where the boss […]
An Open Letter to the Youth Outlook Youth
Posted: 5th October 2017 by admin in BlogTags: #LGBT youth, heroes, LGBT, LGBT issues, Youth Outlook
This week I started my 20th year in my job running Youth Outlook where I (do my best to) support the drop-in centers and other services that we offer. That’s a long stretch of time, especially when I stop to consider that when I started working here, most of you drop-in center kids weren’t even born […]
Stretching for Words Like It’s a Yoga Pose
Posted: 13th November 2016 by admin in BlogTags: #LGBT youth, community, Dare to Dream, LGBT issues, Trevor Project, Youth Outlook
Last night, my agency held its annual gala, four days after much of the LGBT world was shot through with a bolt of fear that brought some of us to the verge of physical illness. On Wednesday, I was in meetings marked by stunned silence, abject fear, and immutable grief. The questions everywhere I turned […]
An Open Letter to Some Grown Ups at the Start of the School Year
Posted: 24th August 2016 by admin in Blog, UncategorizedTags: #LGBT youth, diversity, education, GSA, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, professional development, trans youth, Youth Outlook
Dear School Administrators, I’m about to share with you an idea that is so radical, it might make your hair catch fire when you read it. Ready? Here goes. It is not the responsibility of the teenagers with whom you cross paths to educate you about their gender identity. I know this is a crazy […]