In Solidarity: A Coalition Letter to LGBTQ+ Youth

HMI is proud to stand alongside fellow LGBTQ+ youth-serving organizations as part of a newly formed coalition committed to protecting, affirming, and uplifting queer and trans young people.

Together, we’ve issued a public letter—published in The Advocate—to remind LGBTQ+ youth that they are not alone. In the face of escalating political attacks and harmful rhetoric, we offer this message of love, strength, and solidarity. You are seen. You are valued. You are supported.

Read the letter below, and know that a powerful community stands with you.

We are the Coalition for LGBTQ+ Youth.

To introduce ourselves as a new coalition, we want to speak directly to the LGBTQ+ young people we serve:

Dear LGBTQ+ young people,

You deserve the world. We see you, and we are here to support you as much as we can, and in every way that we can. We will never stop fighting for your ability to lead the healthy, safe, full lives you deserve. We’re with you, because we are you. We are a collective made up of queer and transgender folks, and allies, who were once young people, like you. We also needed the care and kindness of our elders to make it this far, and we promise to pay it forward as best as we can. Queer people have always existed, and we can never be erased. We know that, you know that, and we are committed to using our platforms to ensure as many people as possible outside our community know that, too.

There’s a lot of hate being hurled in your direction these days, along with a seemingly endless stream of misinformation about who you are, and how you live your lives. And yet, you keep going – fighting through it, and rising above it. You inspire us every day, and we mean it wholeheartedly. Your capacity to love is limitless.

We don’t know what the future holds for our country. But with you in it, we know it will be bright.

Keep finding your joy. We are in this together.

–The Coalition for LGBTQ+ Youth

Founding members include:
Destination Tomorrow
Family Equality
Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI)
Hopelab
It Gets Better
Live Out Loud
PFLAG NYC
The Ali Forney Center
The Free to Be Youth Project
The Future Perfect Project
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center)
The Trevor Project
The Tyler Clementi Foundation