After a rough 15 months of supporting young people virtually, PrideZone was finally able to resume in-person meetings on May 5th, 2021. Our first meeting brought us six young people. Five of them were brand new to PrideZone. Since that first meeting we have grown like crazy! With 33 individual young people coming since we started meeting in person again, we now average about 13 young people per week with at least one new person each meeting. Throughout the month of May young people talked about what they were looking to get out of our meetings. The resounding answer was: COMMUNITY. One of the best ways to feel like a part of the Queer community is by attending Pride.
Many of the young people expressed interest in attending Pride for the first time. Lucky for us, Ypsilanti Pride was only two blocks away. Our PrideZone facilitators were able to take six young people to Pride for the first time. They showed up covered in rainbows. Their excitement was palpable. Even I was excited and I’ve attended Pride regularly for the past 20 years! For some of them, this was not only their first Pride, but their first time being surrounded by other LGBTQ+ people. R., one of our PrideZone attendees had this to say about attending Pride for the first time:
“Ypsi pride was such a wonderful and eye opening experience. For the first time in my life I was completely surrounded by people who validated and accepted my queer identity with open arms. I wasn’t afraid of judgment or having to hide myself for the sake of others. Throughout the night there was such an unspoken sense of community, we all knew we were there and fighting for the same purpose, and it made me feel so much less alone in my personal struggles with queerness. It truly felt like we were all in this together. I can’t wait to go back to pride again next year.”
Honestly, attending Pride with these young people made me feel like it was my first Pride all over again and I agree with R., I can’t wait to go back to Pride again next year.
LJ Sarten is Ozone House’s Youth Resource and PrideZone Coordinator