Supporting the LGBTQ Community in 2016
The night after Election Day, Horizons Foundation hosted our annual “State of the LGBTQ Movement” event. Though the tone of much of the discussion was certainly grim, dozens of people told me how relieved they felt to share pain, grief, anxiety, and compassion with other LGBTQ people – to be with community. By the end of the evening, we all left feeling just a bit stronger, committed not only to defending every gain our movement has made, but also to making new progress on the long, long road to true equality, dignity, and justice for all LGBTQ people.
To get there, we need you – your time, your leadership, your passion and, yes, your investment in Horizons Foundation. That’s why I invite you to help us mobilize and increase resources for the LGBTQ movement by making gift today.
The path ahead will be difficult. Yet I know that we’ll make it, together, because of people like you – and because of the work and impact of the scores of LGBTQ-serving organizations that are part of the Horizons community.
Your gift before December 31 will help Horizons continue to support programs like Youth Space – a program of Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley — that creates safety and community for LGBTQ young people from all over the South Bay. With funding from Horizons, they’ve started a vibrant program that gives young people a safe, accepting place to express themselves and connect with one another.
Rachel Jamison Johnson, a high school senior, describes her experience like this: “I think it’s especially important for queer youth to have a place where we cheer each other on, where you see kids going through what you’re going through and saying that “it’s all right.” I was just looking for a place to volunteer when I came to Youth Space, but I found so much more – confidence, friendship, and inspiration to study psychology so I can pursue a career in social work to help LGBTQ youth like me.”
As we face uncertain times ahead, organizations like Youth Space will be even more important than ever before. In times like these, we need each other and we need strong and effective groups like Youth Space.
For every one of the scores of nonprofits that advocate for and serve our community, there are dozens – sometimes hundreds – of comparable stories. Stories of finding community, of getting help, of breaking isolation, of finding voice and making change.
At Horizons, we’re fortunate to hear stories like these all the time. On the days where hope seems hard to find in our community, it is these stories that lift us up. The truth is that none of those stories would be true if not for your support. It’s only because of donors like you that Horizons is able to identify, connect with, learn about, and make grants to the organizations our community relies on.
Thank you for supporting Horizons, organizations like Youth Space, and our entire community. We need each other now more than ever. Together, we are strong enough to face whatever lies ahead.
