Queer Futures LGBTQIA2S+ Resource Center Launch

Queer Futures is the Yampa Valley's new LGBTQIA2S+ Resource Center!

After years of advocacy, we are finally launching this much needed and anticipated program.

Queer Futures will provide a safe affirming space for LGBTQIA2S+ people of all identities, their allies, and their families to gather, learn, connect with resources, and foster queer joy.

This program will also be a go-to resource for healthcare providers, youth-serving organizations, and other community resources to learn and grow to better serve LGBTQIA2S+ folks.

Addressing Urgent Needs

In 2022, Yampa Valley Pride worked with many community partners through the Social Justice Coalition to complete the LGBTQIA2S+ Survey and Roundtable Report.

The report found that:

- Only 15% of LGBTQIA2S+ folks feel very safe in Routt County

- Less than 10% believe their healthcare provider is very knowledgeable of their identity

- About half of LGBTQIA2S+ youth are bullied in our local schools because of their identity.

When asked about potential solutions, respondents universally suggested that:

-  Cultivating queer community and affinity spaces is an important resiliency factor.

- They also pointed to the need for more education and accessible affirming resources. 

While Queer Futures hasn't quite gotten off the ground yet, the hope is palpable. Program Director, Chelsie Holmes, was instrumental in launching the Pride festival, facilitating the roundtable and survey, and mobilizing the local community to make Queer Futures possible. We can't wait to see LGBTQIA2S+ connect with each other, grow, and thrive.

$34,000 is the cost of renting the space for one year for the Queer Futures LGBTQIA+ Resource Center. If we raise funds beyond that amount, it will go toward administrative costs.