We started our program this month with a youth profile of Aiden Sigman. Aiden grew up in Chicago and recalls feeling like a boy since the age of three. He began to identify as transgender when he was 16 and started therapy at the age of 17. He left Chicago and came here to California where he now works as an intern at Positive Images. Aiden is a remarkable young man and a role model for other LGBT youth. He plans to attend college in Portland, Oregon.
We were also joined by members of the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition. This is a new organization funded by a grant with the mission of providing mental health information and support for youth, including those in the LGBT community, here in Sonoma County.
Shana Friedman is a Mental Health Program Specialist and the facilitator for the group. Marcos Garcilazo, Jesus Guzman, and Vanessa Romero are peer youth leaders who research and post information about a wide variety of mental health issues related to youth on the organization’s many social networking websites. They hope to reach youth throughout Sonoma County using the Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and blogs. They are specifically interested in addressing the issues of teen suicide within the LGBT youth community. Each of the peer leaders has received specialized training in how to best use social networking websites and on suicide prevention. They are working closely with area GSA groups and Positive Images.
This month we profiled Positive Images Intern, Bri Jayne. Bri is a senior at Sonoma State University where she is studying psychology. Bri shared her story with us about growing up in Novato and coming out in junior high school. She enjoys a variety of activities including coaching softball. Today she is one of the interns at Positive Images of Santa Rosa. She helps lead the regular youth group meetings, plans activities, and acts as a mentor for the young members. Bri’s advice for young people just coming out is to take your time. She recommends sharing this part of your life with people one-on-one. Bri also suggests reaching out for support from an organization like Positive Images.
Social networking websites provide many ways of connecting with other people around the world. But you should be very aware of risks involved in sharing too much information online. This month we talked about ways of maintaining safety and privacy while online using social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. We answer a couple of listener questions including one about the law and “sexting.” If you are under 18 and send explicit pictures of yourself or if you forward pictures of someone else who is under the age of 18, it is a crime (distribution of child pornography). Nothing online should be considered totally private or safe. Our experts recommend that you not post anything on a social networking site that you wouldn’t want your grandmother or future employer to read.
There are many good ways of setting up your Facebook and MySpace account to insure your privacy. Below are the links we reviewed with videos and instructions for how to set your privacy settings.
It’s Pride night! After a long day at the San Francisco Pride Festival, we took some time to reflect on all the great reasons to have pride this year. Being proud of who you are shouldn’t be limited to one day, one week, or one month a year. As a young member of the LGBT community, you have a reason to be proud of yourself and your community every single day. Many people who came before you worked very hard to make your life today easier. While we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Parade today, remember that today’s cause for celebration started with a night of violence and hate 41 years ago in New York at a bar called the Stonewall Inn. If you are looking for a reason to feel pride today, take a look back and see how far we have come.
This month we profiled Michael Huerta, an extraordinary young man from New Mexico who created a video message in celebration of his 24th birthday. The message in his video is perfect for today’s pride celebration. Michael grew up in a Mexican, Pentecostal household. In his video, he talks about how he overcame several suicide attempts and how he found support from the LGBT community. Michael is developing a career as an LGBT activist. Be sure to watch his video and listen to the full interview in our special show notes below.
Summer is upon us and a great time to get caught up on some reading. But where should LGBT youth go to find books for and about them? We talked with Lee Wind who created the perfect website for young LGBT readers. “I’m Here, I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read” is the name of Lee’s blog. He writes five days a week and offers a huge selection of titles guaranteed to satisfy any LGBT reader. His list includes fiction and non-fiction divided into a wide variety of categories. Lee has a passion for writing and for supporting LGBT youth. His hopes for the website include supporting GSA organizations by providing topics and books for discussion. Lee’s website is amazing and a great resource for Outbeat Youth listeners.
We discovered Michael Huerta after seeing his YouTube video (above). He created this video to celebrate his 24th birthday. Michael’s message is important and inspiring. Below you can listen to the full interview with Michael.
Listen to the full length interview with Michael Huerta here.
“Out In The Silence” is a documentary produced by Dean Hamer and his partner Joe Wilson about how a gay teen helped change the minds and hearts of people in Oil City, PA. It’s a great example of how sharing your story can change minds and hearts. This film was featured in the 2010 Frameline LGBT Film Festival in San Francisco. You can watch it in its entirety right here. Please be patient as your computer connects to the Hulu website.
This month we honored National Law Enforcement month with a look at how police departments are changing to be more informed and inclusive of the LGBT community. We began by talking with Los Angeles Police Department Commissioner Robert Saltzman about how the LAPD moved their youth program away from the Boy Scouts of America in order to be more welcoming and inclusive of LGBT youth. Commissioner Saltzman explained that because of the discriminatory practices of the Boy Scouts organization, the LAPD created their own youth cadet program. Other police departments in California are taking similar steps so that all youth can participate in this career exploration program.
Training for police at local academies is also changing. We talked with two cadets from Napa’s police academy class #78, Nate Putney and Joel Caitham. These cadets explained the community policing project that all cadets complete that includes researching a culture they are unfamiliar with and making a presentation to their fellow cadets about what they learned. Cadet Putney and Caitham selected the transgender community for their project. They shared with us how this project really changed their perspective and how, because of their project, everyone in their class will be better able to serve the transgender community. Other cadets in the class selected the gay and lesbian community for their research. In all cases, cadets are required to conduct face-to-face interviews with three members of the community they select to research.
You can listen to Outbeat Youth in more ways and in more places than just on the radio while the program is live. Of course, if you live locally in the Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa area, you can simply tune in to 90.9 or 91.1 FM. The program also streams live on the internet at www.krcb.org and can be hear using Real Player, Microsoft Media Player, or any MP3 player, such as iTunes.
If you have an iPhone, you can listen live using a free app called “Public Radio Player.” This app can receive hundreds of public radio stations including KRCB. It even has a built in alarm clock that you can set to remind you when Outbeat Youth airs every fourth Sunday! Click the image for a link to the Public Radio Player site to learn more and to download the app to your iPhone or iPad.
While all of these options allow you to listen live, you can always listen to past shows immediately after they air on this website. Just click on Show Notes and find the entry for the show you are interested in hearing again. There is a built in player on the page as well as links to any websites related to the topics and guests included on the show.
All of our shows automatically load into iTunes. Open iTunes and click on iTunes store. Search for “Outbeat Youth.” You can subscribe for free so that every time a new show is posted, it will automatically download when you sync your iTunes, iPhone, iTouch, or iPad device. You can use the iTunes app on the iPhone to listen to the shows you have downloaded. Of course, if you have broadband access on your phone, you can download the shows directly from iTunes to your iPhone or iPad. You will also find all of the Outbeat Now! shows available for download if you want the entire hour program that includes Outbeat Youth.
Help us spread the word! Outbeat Youth is available 24/7 anyway you want to listen.
This month we featured a youth profile on Victor Romos, a junior at Santa Rosa High School and the Outbeat Youth correspondent for Positive Images. Victor is an amazing youth member of the LGBT community and told us about how he came out in middle school to find acceptance by his friends and family. Victor is active in the FFA and talked about his experience entering pigs in the Sonoma County Fair. Victor also told us about the upcoming “Hella Gay Prom” on Saturday, May 8, 2010, sponsored by Positive Images. Tickets are now available directly from Positive Images.
We visited Positive Images this month on the night before the Day of Silence to find out what the members had planned for the Day of Silence and how they have been silenced in their own lives. That night, we also watched a new documentary titled, “Out In The Silence.” This movie told the story of how a high school student came out and helped change attitudes in Oil City, PA.
One of the visual symbols you may have seen on the Day of Silence is the “NOH8 Campaign.” We talked with the creators of this clever campaign, Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley about how this idea came about. Shortly after the passage of Proposition 8, Adam and Jeff wanted to do something to spread the word about equality. They have attracted celebrities and thousands of other supporters who believe in ending hate.
Did you know that Sonoma County’s pride celebration is put together by volunteers with donated money? The parade, festival, and comedy night are all the products of community member volunteers who also plan fund raising events to get the money needed to obtain permits, rent the venues, and to publicize our county’s pride celebration. This is an important time each year to really highlight our community and to celebrate our pride being out and as LGBT.
The Sonoma County Pride Committee needs your help. You can participate as a volunteer, make a donation, or do both! The committee welcomes youth involvement, so get your friends and GSA organizations involved and help the Sonoma County Pride Committee make this year’s pride celebration the best!
This month was devoted entirely to a discussion about how colleges and universities are working to create a safe and accepting place for LGBT students to live and learn. Shane Windmeyer, the founder and executive director of Campus Pride, joined us in the studio live. Shane talked about his experience coming out in a fraternity and how his fraternity brothers supporting him as he came out to his family and friends. That experience lead Shane to write a series of books including, “The Advocate College Guide For LGBT Students,” “Brotherhood – Gay Life In College Fraternities,” and several others. Mr. Windmeyer talked about how he created the “Campus Climate Index” as an online tool for LGBT college students to search for LGBT friendly colleges and universities. He talked about how colleges and universities are taking significant steps to support transgender students by creating gender-neutral bathrooms and by building living facilities with private bathing facilities. Many colleges have also developed LGBT Studies Programs and LGBT student centers all with the intent of attracting more diverse students. Shane also told us about the “camp you have been waiting for! Campus Pride organizes the only Summer Leadership Camp for LGBT and Ally college students. The five-day camp experience works to develop stronger undergraduate student leaders and safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Participants have the opportunity to learn valuable campus organizing skills, coalition building and strategies for creating change at colleges and universities. We gave away two autographed copies of Shane’s books during the show.
This month was devoted entirely to a discussion about how colleges and universities are working to create a safe and accepting place for LGBT students to live and learn. Shane Windmeyer, the founder and executive director of Campus Pride, joined us in the studio live. Shane talked about his experience coming out in a fraternity and how his fraternity brothers supporting him as he came out to his family and friends. That experience lead Shane to write a series of books including, “The Advocate College Guide For LGBT Students,” “Brotherhood – Gay Life In College Fraternities,” and several others. Mr. Windmeyer talked about how he created the “Campus Climate Index” as an online tool for LGBT college students to search for LGBT friendly colleges and universities. He talked about how colleges and universities are taking significant steps to support transgender students by 