By the time you are in your
mid-teens, chances are good that you feel pretty aware of your sexual orientation
and gender identity, especially if it is different from what most of the world
seems to expect. If you are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, you might find yourself
more attracted to movie stars and models who are the same gender as you are, or
you might find that you identify strongly with the lesbian celebrity Ellen
DeGeneres, or Will, the gay lead on the show Will & Grace. Or, if you are
transgender, you may have a persistent feeling that your gender is the opposite
of what people assume (because of your physical body) and you may find yourself
wanting to look and dress like the gender you feel.
The signals may be strong or
they may be confusing, but even if you feel certain of your orientation and
identity, you may need some help accepting that part of yourself and learning
more about what it means. No matter where you live, the process of "coming out"
is tough, and getting reliable information about sexual orientation and gender
identity can be especially difficult in areas like Berrien County. Furthermore,
acknowledging your orientation and identity, including sharing that knowledge
with friends and family, might seem almost impossible.
Fortunately, the number of
resources available to youth are much greater than they were just ten years ago,
when there really was no place to go in Berrien County. Now, there are at least
three options for LGBT and questioning youth who want to better understand their
orientation and figure out if and how they might acknowledge it to others.
Those options are ALIVE, PFLAG, and a number of local church pastors and mental
health care providers who are happy to support you in the process.
ALIVE: Allies and LGBTQ Individuals
Visualizing Equality
ALIVE is the Gay-Straight Alliance of the YWCA Out &
Affirmation Center, open to high school youth throughout Berrien County. The
group meets at the YWCA on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month from 4 to
5:30, is open to students of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and
is designed to provide educational programs concerning sexual orientation/gender
identity as well as social interaction and personal support for its members.
Click here for more information about ALIVE.
Parents, Family, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays PFLAG St. Joseph/Berrien County
When your sexual orientation or gender roles are not those expected by your
friends and family, your relationships are easily stressed. And when you come out
to your friends and family members, all parties involved must make a sometimes-difficult
adjustment to a new and often unexpected reality. If you are young-and even if
you are not-you might feel isolated, alone, and unsure of how to handle the
stress of sharing your life with the people who are most important to you.
The most important purpose of
the St. Joseph/Berrien County chapter of Parents, Family, & Friends of Lesbians
and Gays (PFLAG) is to provide a safe, supportive environment for the family and
friends of LGBT persons as they develop a new understanding of themselves and
their relationships. But it is equally true that youth who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, or questioning will find supportive people-both gay and
straight-ready to listen and share at PFLAG. And when the time comes, your
friends and members of your family will also be welcomed, affirmed, and assisted
in their journey of acceptance and understanding.
PFLAG meetings welcome local
youth and are held from 2 to 4 p.m. the second Sunday of every month at the YWCA
Out & Affirmation Center, 508 Pleasant Street, Saint Joseph, Michigan. You do
not need a reservation, and membership is not required. To contact the PFLAG
chapter or national organization, phone (269) 429-6160, e-mail us at
pflagberriencounty@yahoo.com,
or click here to visit our website:
Referrals for Clergy and Therapist (Mental Health Care Professionals)
For youth who are not ready or
able to join PFLAG or ALIVE, the YWCA Out & Affirmation Center can still refer
you to supportive local clergy who can help you reconcile your sexual identity
or gender orientation with your faith traditions. Or sometimes it can help to
talk things over with a health care professional, and youth in the State of
Michigan are entitled to a series of visits with counselors/ therapists without
parental permission. If you think you might like to talk things over with a
supportive professional but you don't want to risk being questioned by your
parents, we can refer you to supportive services right here in Berrien County.
Just contact the Out & Affirmation Center at info@outcenter.org and we will
help make the initial contact.
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