New Haven Independent

One.

That was the number a group of adults from Greater New Haven came up with when they gathered at the New Haven Public Library to determine how many New Haven services are available to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.

The New Haven Gay and Lesbian Community Center at 50 Fitch Street offers a social youth group that meets weekly. However, there are no mental or physical health, support or educational services specifically targeting queer youth in New Haven.

Alexis Wilcox, a teacher at Common Ground High School (one of three New Haven high schools boasting a gay-straight alliance) attended the May 30 meeting. She was looking for ways to help keep her kids “off the streets” and “be comfortable with themselves.” When asked what exists in New Haven for LGBT teens, she said, “There’s nothing.”

The meeting, billed as a community forum, was the brainchild of Amy Champagne of the New Haven LGBT Community Organizing Project (pictured at the top of this story with Robin McHaelen). A native of the Boston area, Champagne came to New Haven to work with Public Allies, a non-profit organization that places young people in human services organizations all over the country.

Champagne was placed at Common Ground High School and was quickly at a loss when asked by LGBT students to recommend services and “safe spaces.” Returning to Public Allies for a second year, Champagne launched the New Haven LGBT Community Organizing Project, which first sought to “map” the available resources (and, more importantly, lack thereof) for local LGBT youth.

The project turned up the two social youth groups at the New Haven Gay and Lesbian Community Center and the three gay-straight alliances at Cooperative Arts High School, Common Ground High School and Hopkins School.

The library forum was produced in partnership with True Colors Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services of Connecticut, a Manchester-based agency that provides support, education, and advocacy to LGBT youth and families and those that provide services to that population.

According the Champagne, the objective of the project is to “identify community members, organizations, and other social groups that provide resources to LGBT youth in the greater New Haven area.” Once Champagne completed the mapping portion of the project, she planned to “remain in contact with attendees from the forum and hold additional meetings in the next few months to establish concrete steps to start making some change in the greater New Haven area.”

“Considering the risks factors associated with sexual and gender minority status in our culture,” said True Colors executive director, Robin McHaelen, “it is unconscionable that so few mainstream agencies and programs are stepping up to the plate to provide inclusive and culturally competent services to this population of youth and their families. There are literally dozens of programs for youth in Greater New Haven— maybe even hundreds. If LGBT youth represent about 9 percent of the population, how come there is only one program for them? And how come the LGBT community is the only group to provide it?”

While those who attended the meeting lamented the existence of only one safe space for LGBT teens, the two youth in attendance confirmed that the weekly social group is critical to their well-being. Joey Ford, 18, and Mychelle Moore, 20, graduates of HSC and Coop respectively, said that they attend the meetings at the NHGLCC every week. Mychelle said she attends because “I like the community. I like the fact that there’s no judgments.” When asked if there were other places where it was safe to be out in New Haven, she said “No. That’s it. It’s sad.”

Joey echoed, saying, “There should be more in New Haven. There really isn’t a lot.”

When asked if he feels comfortable openly gay in high school, Joey noted that a few individual teachers is supportive but that generally he is not comfortable being out until his senior year.

Why are these resources essential for LGBT youth? McHaelen said, “Emerging research confirms what we already know from experience: LGBT youth with rejecting families are at higher risk for every conceivable risk factor - suicide, substance abuse, truancy, homelessness - even cigarette smoking. LGBT Youth with supportive families are at no higher risk for this ‘parade of horribles’ than any other teen.

“Another interesting factor emerged from the research - LGBT youth with ambivalent families had much lower risk factors than families that were rejecting. That suggests that families don’t have to transform themselves to make room for their LGBT children. They just have to move a little, create a little space and work out a way for the child to participate as family; even if no one is completely happy with his/her orientation.”

In other words, LGBT kids need all the support they can get— at least as much as their straight peers— regardless of what they get at home.

The library group brainstormed potential allies and obstacles and noted that next steps include reaching out to the mayor’s office, the medical and mental health community, schools, teachers, police, youth development programs and a variety of other persons whose line of work would make them resources to the LGBT community.

Che Dawson, deputy chief of Staff for Mayor John DeStefano, is currently in the process of exploring the issue. “The city recognizes this as a need for young people, and is working with experts and community members to develop programming support,” he said.

Anyone who is interested in joining the conversation about increasing the number of safe spaces and supports for New Haven’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth can contact Amy Champagne at this e-mail address or True Colors at (860) 649-7386.

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Sally Tamarkin has been active in LGBT issues in New Haven. Have photos and a write-up of a community event we missed? Send them here.