United in identity: Queer Youth Conference

Being LGBTQ+ in middle and high school can be a lonely experience for many. Likewise, it can be difficult to get involved on a local level as an advocate. These are just some of the reasons that the Q Center has brought a newly revamped event back to campus — the Queer Youth Conference.

“Over the several years that I’ve been here, I’ve tried to make better connections with the local community and school districts. Going into this year, we were in about as good of a position as we could be,” said Nick Martin, associate director of the Q Center. “The previous version didn’t really include the campus in any specific ways, but it was a goal to include students who want to work with younger kids. All of this led us to shift the scope; rather than just Southern Tier local high schools, we branched out to South Central New York.”

The “United in Identity: Queer Youth Conference” was held Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the �������� Union. The event featured a full day of coalition-building, social empowerment and expressions of queer joy with over 70 youth and students from within an hour’s radius of ��������.

First established by the prior director of the Q Center, Kelly Clark, in 2017-18, the event was held only once before being postponed due to COVID. The original concept focused on conversations and was mostly contained to Q Center staff presentations and community-building events to help students affiliated with local gay-straight alliance’s (GSA) feel less alone.

We want you all to feel a sense of community and belonging, because this space was created specifically for you. I encourage you to engage with the speakers, ask questions, make new friends, new connections, express yourself and soak in every moment of queer joy.

Carmen Jones, assistant vice president for diversity and inclusion in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Now, thanks to extensive outreach, Martin was ready to try again. He hoped to include both undergraduate and graduate students in the event and engage group participation from campus organizations, such as the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ The Rural and Underserved Service Track (TRUST), the Center for Civic Engagement, the Fleishman Center, Decker Health Services and the Multicultural Resource Center.

“The initial excitement in the event shows that there is an interest and a need. In working with our students here on campus, they’ve been excited to have the opportunity to work with queer youth in a way that they really haven’t before. For me, the exciting components are bridging the gap; downstate students might not know anything about life for young people up here or what that looks like. Having those connection points, where students can learn about those experiences, may hopefully encourage students to stay in this area and do some more intentional work with the local community,” Martin said.

He also contacted local organizations, including Identity Youth Center, Beyond Binary and Camp Fruit Fly, which shared resources during a resource fair lunch.

“It all shows what �������� has to offer if you’re interested in coming here,” Martin added. “I want to show the kids that there are resources that exist in their local community, and that campus resources are closer than they may seem.”

This conference was geared toward youth within the area involved with a GSA or similarly themed club at their high school or middle school; high school or middle school GSA advisors, faculty or support staff who advocate for and directly support LGBTQ+ students at their school; and �������� undergraduate and graduate students looking to go into work affiliated with K-12 students or who are actively involved in LGBTQ+ affirming student organizations on campus.

“I hope that students left the event feeling seen. It’s a difficult year, but I hope they can see the opportunities that exist on this campus and within the SUNY system,” Martin said. “I hope they leave with the tools to take back to their high and middle schools. We also wanted to offer support to the GSA advisors/teachers; we want to make sure that they feel as supported as possible, too.”

To achieve this, adults attending the event were invited to sit in on breakout sessions and to participate in restorative conversations with Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff to identify tangible strategies for advocacy and support of LGBTQ+ students after the conference.

In addition to breakout sessions, the keynote address featured Mrs. Kasha Davis, a central figure in the Rochester, N.Y. performance scene. She was named as one of Out magazine’s Out100 for 2023, recognizing her as an artist, trailblazer and storyteller who is making a difference for the LGBTQIA+ community. Davis has over a decade of experience working directly with young people, emphasizing the importance of expression through performance art and advocating for underrepresented populations. She is also an adjunct faculty member for SUNY Brockport, teaching a class that covers the history of drag and other related types of performance art. Her address discussed these projects and presented tangible steps that all students can take to advocate and support each other.

“I learned one day at a time how to ask for help, and to be present in gratitude, and I’m reminded that community is everything,” said Davis, to raucous student applause. “I found some clarity, and I began to find ways to shine my light on to the next generation. … If you see injustice in your world, document it and speak up. Continue to find your tribe, because when multiple lights gather together, the light is so bright it attracts others. Remember to passionately seek and cultivate joy.”

In the future, Martin hopes to expand the event. He’d like to reconsider weekend opportunities, to engage youth who are not out to their families, and he’d also like to involve families in the conversation and discuss how they can better support youth. Other opportunities include offering continuing education credits for teachers and social workers.

His goal, this time around, was to show students of all ages that there is support for their needs and to provide an outlet where �������� and its offerings are demystified. Because of its large size, Martin feels that many see the college as unattainable, a belief he hopes to dissuade. He also hoped to demonstrate the Q Center’s primary mission: connection and belonging.

“A key component of the conference is expressions of queer joy. Like most things that we do, we really need to make a concerted effort to always highlight that joy,” he said. “While it is a challenging, darker time in many ways — with the community facing a lot of overt threats — we want to provide space where we can find happiness and uplift the experiences of everyone within the LGBTQ+ community.”