While I was in Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con, Julia Ember and I took some time out of our afternoon to visit Lambert House, a center that empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth through the development of leadership, social, and life skills.
It was such an amazing experience. The wonderful volunteers had set up a time for us to speak with the youth at the center as queer authors and talk with them about books and life in general. We toured the center, including their incredibly stocked library, their hang out rooms including common areas that had many opportunities for entertainment including media, a nail polish station, a tech center for youth to access the internet and also job opportunities, and their kitchen where they provided free meals for the youth there.
Safe spaces like these are so incredibly important, especially for youth who may feel alone. The whole space was filled with a wonderful energy of community and love, and its clear from the amazing volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to help provide these opportunities for youth.