Lamont Cobb

April 2, 2019

How important is an organization like Safe Space NOVA to the LGBT+ youth community? LGBT people have the most exposure and acceptance in popular culture than ever before. From television shows like Pose, to films like Love, Simon – LGBT culture has entered the mainstream. Our youth are coming out earlier, pushing the traditional boundaries of gender, and living and loving more openly than previous generations. However, there are political and social movements threatening this progress. LGBT youth make up too much of homeless populations, and rates of suicide and mental illness are still alarmingly high. Social media helps LGBT youth connect outside of their community and express themselves, but can also expose them to unhealthy examples and norms that inhibit positive social development.

Groups like Safe Space continue to have a role to play in ensuring that LGBT youth can connect offline with their peers, think critically about themselves and their sexuality, and receive tangible support and affirmation that they might not receive in other ways. LGBT youth must have avenues to meet and interact with each other outside of the internet, and see positive examples in-person, and not just through media and popular culture.

How important do you think it is to target the 14-18 year old range? Being a teenager is one of the most exciting and scary parts of your life. It’s the time where you start to ask questions, make choices, and start to think about how you live your life and what matters to you the most. Straight individuals have all the guidance and examples in the world when it comes to expressing sexuality. Queer individuals often have to chart their own path, with no clear examples to guide their identity formation. Worst yet, they often face abuse and castigation from family and community at the time when they need the most support and understanding. Safe Space does the important work of helping queer youth understand themselves and better navigate the tumult of adolescence.

What are some of the challenges and roadblocks that you have personally faced within the LGBT+ community and how do you think Safe Space NOVA can help break down any barriers? The LGBT+ is as diverse and contradictory as any other. Even growing up in a major progressive city, I had a relatively sheltered childhood, and did not interact with many out teenagers or adults. I didn’t have many examples of what being gay meant, and I certainly did not imagine a future for myself as an out gay man. I had an uncle that died of AIDS-related complications when I was a toddler, and the family sometimes told stories of a great uncle that was killed by his lover in the 1960s, in a park then popular for cruising. Was this the future I could imagine for myself? I flipped coins, prayed, and hoped that this nagging feeling of difference would subside. I imagine had I had access to a group like Safe Space, my teenage years and early adulthood would’ve been remarkably different. Maybe I would’ve been more confident, not just in expressing my desires, but in all facets of my life. I would have taken more chances, and developed my identity without some of the fear that held me back. I hope Safe Space can reach our queer youth and help them to reach their potential earlier than I did.

Have you personally dealt with or witnessed someone firsthand deal with the issues in the LGBT+ community that Safe Space NOVA is aiming to prevent (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, drug abuse, etc.)? I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression about myself and my place within the community. These issues can suck the life out of you, and inhibit you from tackling daily tasks and moving forward on your goals. When I was younger, these issues largely stemmed from a deep sense of isolation I felt as a young gay man, too sheltered and frightened of his sexuality to understand it or recognize his own power. I had a date that once told me he looked up to most queer people he met. “We have superpowers ” he said. Indeed, we do. Safe Space I hope you continue to work with the LGBT+ youth to recognize just how powerful they are.