Offers safety, fun for LGBTQIA+ youth by Kate Braniff Growg up a small town northern Colorado wasn’t always easy for Kimberly Chambers. “I knew I wouldn’t be accepted for who I was, so I uldn’t e out,” she says. “I didn’t have a safe place to drop .” For those who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, tersex, asexual, or other (LGBTQIA+), there are few safe spac where an dividual n be pletely open and hont wh others, explas Alyssa Wright, a licensed clil social worker and owner of Integrated Counselg & Wellns Fort Colls. “When someone n’t feel their most thentic and genue self, they’re at extreme risk of mental health stggl like prsn, anxiety, suicidaly, and substance e.” In fact, LGBTQIA+ youth experience much higher stanc of suici, substance abe, and homelsns than heterosexual youth the Uned Stat. Havg support creas the numbers. “LGBTQIA+ youth supportive fai are 50 percent ls likely to thk about suici than kids unsupportive suatns,” says Wright. As a parent, tor, activist, and queer woman, Chambers unrstands the dangers well. To fill the gap, she created SPLASH (Supportg Pri, Learng, and Social Happengs) Youth of Northern Colorado, a volunteer-n, muny program nnectg young people 5-24 years old and their fai to safe spac, protective programmg, rourc, and referrals to pre-screened specialists. SPLASH offers weekly age-specific and peer-led support groups, activi, and learship opportuni. Organizatns offerg this type of support exist bigger ci, but not always smaller, ral areas. Chambers, who serv as director, scrib SPLASH as siar to a muny-based gay-straight alliance, specifilly for LGBTQIA+ youth Larimer and Weld unti. COVID lockdown Like many nonprof anizatns, mand for SPLASH’s servic skyrocketed when the COVID-19 global crisis h. “When COVID really started affectg our young people late March, our numbers jumped over 500 percent om the year before,” says Chambers. “We saw huge creas need when kids were isolated om their safe social works.” Chambers add multiple onle support groups and social events to keep up wh mand, but she do try to host -person events wh proper COVID-19 safety protols whenever possible. “To a certa gree, onle don’t fill the gap of -person nnectn,”explas Wright. “For this time specifilly, wh everythg beg onle, ’s even more important to have the safe spac.” Empowerg youth Chambers believ that to be relevant wh kids, adults need to meet them where they are, and not the other way around. From social media outreach to planng events and makg cisns, SPLASH youth are enuraged to be volved and take on learship rol. “Call me crazy, and sometim ’s difficult, but I enurage our board to have youth votg, board posns,” says Chambers. “It keeps acuntable, empowers youth, and keeps our goals and strategi relevant.” The SPLASH Ambassador program provis trag suici preventn and other peer terventns, givg youth tools to intify peers who might need help but don’t feel fortable gog directly to an adult. “In my adult life, fay and iends have given me space to disver and be my thentic self,” says Chambers. “I feel ’s worth returng that empowerment, to make sure kids n stay alive.” Onle Communy Groups* Teens ag 12-18 - GAUGE (transgenr, non-bary youth) Teens ag 12-18 - SPLASH (all LGBTQIA+ teens) Young adults ag 16-24 - (all LGBTQIA+ young adults) Parents and regivers of LGBTQIA+ youth - Group led by parents and LGBTQIA+ volunteers Elementary ag 7-11 - Sktl (Kids who are qutng, LGBTQIA+ youth, or the kids of LGBTQIA+ parents or regivers). Pre-registratn required. *Check tim and lotns at Check out upg events on social media at #splashno. Contact: or text 970-444-LGBT for addnal rmatn. If you or someone you know is unr 25, havg a mental health crisis, and LGBTQIA+, ntact The Trevor Project 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or via chat at Or ll the SummStone Crisis Le at 970-494-4200, ext. 4.
Contents:
- MOVG TO LGBT FORT COLLS, COLORADO? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!
- WELE TO GAY IENDLY FORT COLLS/GREELEY AREA
- LGBTQ+ AFFIRMG THERAPISTS FORT COLLS, CO
- LGBTQ+ SUPPORT GROUPS FORT COLLS, CO
- BT GAY BARS FORT COLLS, COLORADO
- COLORADO LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
MOVG TO LGBT FORT COLLS, COLORADO? HOW TO FD YOUR PERFECT GAY NEIGHBORHOOD!
All the latt rmatn + rourc you will need when movg to LGBTQ Fort Colls, cludg the bt gay neighborhoods, muny groups, gay realtors, and more. * lgbt fort collins *
PFLAG is the first and largt anizatn for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and fai, and alli.
825 South Shields St, Su 4-7Fort Colls, CO 80521970-797-1841Planned Parenthood offers numero servic for the gay muny cludg STD and HIV ttg and prostate and tticular ncer screengs. We’re mted to creatg a fair and jt Colorado for all people, pecially lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) Coloradans and their fai. Colorado Gay Roo Associatn.
The Colorado Gay Roo Associatn (CGRA) is the olst of more than 25 gay roo associatns North Ameri.
WELE TO GAY IENDLY FORT COLLS/GREELEY AREA
Short history of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, & Queer history Fort Colls and related historic s. * lgbt fort collins *
The foc of our programmg is to acknowledge, uplift and empower our Black LGBTQ munyThe Center of ColfaxEngagg, Empowerg, Enrichg & Advancg the LGBTQ Communy of ColoradoColorado Name Change ProjectInformatn and forms on how to update your name and genr marker the State of ColoradoDenver PriDenver Pri is hosted by the Center on Colfax mid-June each year, one the largt the Boulr CountyOut Boulr County specializ tg, advotg and providg servic, programs, and support for Boulr County’s Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer Asterisk*Providg queer-rmed unselg servic, tnal trags, and muny programmg. While there’s no specific gayborhood here, you will fd the LGBTQ muny makg their home throughout the cy. There is even a quirky gay scene Fort Colls, but like Dayton, Madison, Boulr, D Mo, and other mid-sized ci the Uned Stat, is rather low-key, pecially when pared to New York Cy or San Diego.
This is why a gay realtor Fort Colls is pricels, as they n assist you fdg your new perfect home the gaybourhood most sued to you.
LGBTQ+ AFFIRMG THERAPISTS FORT COLLS, CO
* lgbt fort collins *
The Bt Gay Neighborhoods In Fort CollsOld Town Fort CollsOld Prospect Cy ParkWarren ShorLGBTQ+ Communy Organizatns In Fort CollsLGBTQ+ Communy Events Fort CollsLGBT-Owned Bs In Fort CollsFal Thoughts On Movg To LGBTQ Fort CollsFdg Gay Realtors In Fort Colls. Gay poker tournaments, gay adult proms, drag shows, and equy galas are some of the LGBT-iendly events that take place this muny, which Northern Colorado Pri assists anizg.
Northern Colorado Pri lends a hand anizg a variety of events for fai and sgl, cludg drag shows, LGBT poker tournaments, gay adult proms, and equy galas. The Bt Gay Neighborhoods In Fort Colls. While all the media today seems to this that gayborhood is ad or on the verge of extctn.
Instead, gayborhoods across the USA are growg number and diversy; they might look slightly different. Instead of beg the ma street servg mostly-exclive LGBT clients (somethg we now thk of as a gay village), gayborhoods have evolved to cultural archipelagos, a llectn of queer islands alced by sexualy and genr and liberal alli. By beg aware of them advance, you n arrive at your new rince the gay-iendly neighborhood that bt sus your needs.
LGBTQ+ SUPPORT GROUPS FORT COLLS, CO
Easily browse and view listgs for the bt Fort Colls gay bars and nightclubs, as well as lbian and other LGBT-iendly bars Colorado. * lgbt fort collins *
Disver your ial new home one of the proment gay and LGBT-iendly gaybourhoods Fort Colls.
Now let’s take a look at where the handful of marvelo gay areas Fort Colls and talk about the Fort Colls gayborhood where you might feel most at home! Fort Colls has a supportive and diverse LGBTQ muny, which has helped the cy bee more gay-iendly recent years. Thankfully, LGBT Fort Colls plays host to a variety of annual events for lbians, transgenr persons, gays, and anyone else who wants to have a good time.
The bt ways to learn more about LGBT Fort Colls are to live a gay-iendly neighborhood, support lol queer bs and events, and jo LGBT muny clubs, anizatns and teams. Fdg Gay Realtors In Fort Colls.
BT GAY BARS FORT COLLS, COLORADO
This may appear strange at first, but there are numero reasons why ntactg a gay realtor Fort Colls is a good way to disver your dream hoe. Everyone serv a pleasurable, strs-ee home buyg or sellg experience while beg aquately reprented, which is why we believe you should hire a gay realtor to assist you unverg your ial future home.
COLORADO LBIAN AND GAY BARS, RTRANTS, LODGG, PRI EVENT, BS MAPS
Gay realtors nduct thorough rearch to the neighborhoods which they sell hom to make sure their ctomers are safe, rather than jt beg ncerned wh how thrivg, trendy, or up-and-g a neighborhood is (or appears to be). Thankfully, you no longer have to search for a realtor whout knowg whether or not they are acceptg of others bee you n e a list of gay, lbian, and gay-iendly agents Fort Colls to do all of your homework for you. Simply go to the page, and you’ll be prented wh a ee list of gay, lbian, and gay-iendly agents who n help you wh your relotn as well as other eful rmatn like LGBT+iendly schools, shoppg, storage firms, trasmen, and more.
Acrdgly, the first crimal Colorado, which remaed place until the 1920s, tablished that “sodomy” as a same-sexual behavr was illegal, although distct om homosexual inty. Denver’s first gay bar, The P, opened 1939 on Seventeenth Street. In 1953, Colorado passed a psychopathic offenr law that allowed for fe stutnalizatn of anyone who mted an act fed as a sex crime, which at that time clud homosexual acts.