Inspire 1,000's of LGBT youth & allies in CT & US

Our work this quarter was made even more poignant by the recent events in the US – the murder of 49 innocents at Pulse in Orlando; the murder of another two unarmed Black men in Minnesota and Baton Rouge; and the murder of 5 police officers in Dallas. Each of these tragedies directly impacts the LGBTQ youth we serve – especially the LGBTQ Youth of Color.

True Colors’ organizational theme is intersectionality – the recognition that each of us is made up of different identities – race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, class, religion, ability and many more. We believe it a core part of our work to respect, reflect and honor the different lens, privileges and experiences of our board, staff, volunteers and constituents. That means walking the talk and we are working hard to do that. 

• Last year, our Board of Directors took on anti-racism as a strategic initiative.  Our board and staff have objectives related to personal and systemic biases within our organization, our work as organizers and advocates, and in the society at large.
  
  
• True Colors and our board/staff and volunteers are active participants in the Black Lives Matter movement across Connecticut. In fact, our Executive Director was arrested for civil disobedience at an event last year.
  
  
• True Colors collaborated with the Islamic Community in CT after Orlando to host a rally and a teach-in exploring the ways in which homo/trans phobia and Islamophobia are connected. We are now part of an on-going LGBTQ, Islamic, Christian and Jewish initiative to continue this work.

This theme of intersectionality plays out in all the work your support allows us to do. In the second quarter of the year, in part because of you, we were able to provide:

• Youth Leadership and Mentoring: In April – June, we hosted 29 social and recreational activities for 212 youth! We also met face-to-face with 9 school Gay/Straight Alliances reaching a total of 280 additional youth. Your donations directly support that work.   Imagine how many kids were impacted because you care.
  
  
• Training for professionals to more effectively meet the needs of the LGBTQ youth and families we serve. In this quarter, we provided 48 trainings to over 1,540 youth serving professionals – CT and nationally. Many of those workshops were offered free or at reduced costs to schools or other non-profit organizations. Imagine how many lives each of those participants go on to touch? Imagine the difference your support continues to make.

Thank you for your support. It truly makes a world of difference.  We know we couldn’t do what we do without YOU! And we are very grateful.

Links:

• Mosque Teach-In
• A journey towards love