COVID-19 may have canceled this year’s in-person Appalachian Queer Youth Summit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to learn, make new friends, and plan for an even bigger and better camp in 2021.
On Aug. 1, we will host our first Appalachian Queer Youth Summit virtual get-together to allow our participants a chance to meet LGBTQ leaders and community members from around the state and learn more about the recent historic Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ discrimination.
This will be the first of many virtual check-ins throughout the year where we will cover topics like how to form and maintain a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance/Gender-Sexuality Alliance), how to influence elected officials, how to start a municipal nondiscrimination campaign in your town, as well as time for socializing and being in community together.
We’ll form a virtual learning community to discuss how to be better allies/accomplices in the struggle for racial justice, understanding our own implicit biases, and more.
This virtual learning community and our regular gatherings will help prepare our participants for a 2021 camp that is more focused on taking action and having fun.
And because we have moved to a virtual space for the next several months, we are able to take on more participants than before. So, if you know someone who is an incoming high school junior or senior who identifies as LGBTQ or comes from an LGBTQ family, have them reach out to learn more about enrolling: contact Mollie at mkennedy@acluwv.org.