February 1994 T PAGE 17 Q-Noles
Gay youth groups promote positive attitude
by Brent L. Pack
Q-Notes Staff
In the junior and senior high school's
latest movement to celebrate and accept the
diversity of its youth, the existence of one
minority has been totally ignored. In like
manner, as the gay rights movement has sped
forward like a steam locomotive toward its
destination of liberation, one segment of the
community has had to wait in the depot for its
own train to pull into the station. However,
that group, the young members of the gay,
lesbian, and bisexual community, have fired
their own engines to produce the steam and
energy necessary to make their own mark. In
the formation of gay, lesbian and bisexual
youth groups, these individuals have laid the
groundwork to not only cover alarge amount
of distance in the short run, but also to pace
themselves so as to meet their long-term
goals of acceptance within both the hetero
sexual and homosexual populations.
These gay, lesbian and bisexual youth
groups, though relatively new in organiza
tion, have grown rapidly across North Caro
lina and the United States. Darryl Williams,
on of the founders of the first gay youth group
in North Carolina, OutRight!, explains the
rapid growth of these groups. "Everyone
realized the need for the youth groups, but no
one wanted to be the first to attempt one.
Once the waters were tested by the first gay
youth group, the formation of other groups
rapidly followed."
The primary hesitancy in the develop
ment of youth groups centers on the legal
ramifications since the majority of the par
ticipants are considered minors under the
law. Although age requirements differ from
group to group, the primary age of partici
pants ranges from 13 through 23. In order to
protect the facilitators and the board of direc
tors from legal complications, stringent guide
lines and practices have been developed.
Guidelines include the use of two trained
facilitators at each meeting, one male and
one female, with no facilitator spending time
with any participant on a one-on-one basis in
any type of social setting. In addition, no
transportation is provided for participants,
either to or from meetings, while strict con
tracts outlining the conduct of each volun
teer are signed by the volunteers and the
organization.
Although the age requirements and rules
for each group vary, the objective seems to
be identical. As Tonda Taylor of Charlotte's
youth group Time Out describes, "The youth
groups exist to offer support for those who
experience a tremendous sense of isolation
and low self esteem because they have self-
identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual." Of
course, providing support for these gay, les
bian and bisexual self-identified youths takes
many forms.
The primary purpose is to provide a pos
itive and affirming support group to help the
youth "face a hostile environment, charac
terized by social and emotional isolation,
verbal and physical abuse, and rejection
from families, peers and churches." To help
them understand more about the gay, lesbian
and bisexual lifestyle, the groups engage in
discussions concerning topics such as "com
ing out," dating, family problems or rejec
tion by friends and peers. Williams explains,
"In a support group meeting, we do not try to
decide for the individual what their sexual
orientation is; rather, we simply present the
reality of a gay, lesbian or bisexual lifestyle.
The individui then decides what his or her
orientation is."
Because heterosexual society attempts to
portray the homosexual population as "per
verts who are destroying America," gay youth
groups attempt to present role models for
gay, lesbian and bisexual youth that provide
a more positive and a more accurate portray
al of the homosexual lifestyle. Time Out has
hosted Career Days that spotlight such pos
itive role models as doctors, lawyers, senior
vice presidents^ and bankers who openly
admit their homosexuality or bisexuality.
The examples provided by these profession
als demonstrates that there are homosexuals
and bisexuals who are productively working
to disprove the stereotypes promoted by
mainstream society.
A second purpose of the groups is to
provide educational and referral services for
young gays, lesbians and bisexuals. These
services take the form of books, pamphlets
and literature which discusses such topics as
"coming out" and living as a homosexual
within society. This resource library is avail
able to not only the group participants, but
also to members of the community interested
in learning more about the gay, lesbian and
bisexual communities.
The third purpose of the groups is to
expand the knowledge of society concerning
gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. Through
literature, seminars and panel discussions.
Continued on page 21
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