LGBT Pride Month
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

LGBT Pride Month

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In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. By investing in programs such as Diverse & Resilient’s Healthy Youth and EndHIV, United Way is helping educate young people in our community about sexual health and helping reduce health disparities experienced by people who identify as LGBT. Shannon Romero is a student at Rufus King International High School who participated in the Healthy Youth program at Diverse & Resilient and shares why it’s important other students take part.

In an urban community the development of adolescent girls is threatened with the influences that cause dropout rates, low self-esteem, and risky sexual behaviors. Diverse & Resilients’s Healthy Youth program is a great resource for them to learn about sexuality and queer-identity in a comfortable and open environment.

With marvelous approaches like hands-on demonstrations, modern videos, and even STI-simulations, the opportunities to learn hit all styles of engagement. Healthy Youth provides access to LBQ conversations with familiar peers and confident leaders. As a student-facilitator of Healthy Youth, many of my peers approach me with confidence and use me as a resource for sex-positive questions.

The program also holds a Girls Retreat where students are able to tackle tender conversations around self-esteem and female empowerment, and even awkward moments about barriers and birth control. Taking part in the retreat with other students has produced an empathetic bond and established an accepting, well-educated environment that reaches across grade levels, ethnicities and orientations.

As a Community Health Promoter for Diverse and Resilient, I believe the urban access to this necessary instruction can improve a student’s confidence. Healthy Youth guides teens to make healthy decisions and prevent the alarming outcomes that could occur under restricted education. I would recommend this program to any female 14-23 years old, because the opportunity for growth is absolute.

United Way's Healthy Youth program is based on the evidence-based 8-module curriculum called Making Proud Choices! Diverse & Resilient has adapted the curriculum to meet the needs of lesbian, bisexual, and queer young women.