Youth Outlook Helps LGBTQ Teens Find Support

Every Tuesday night a group of teens meet in Naperville to watch a movie and find support within a community that shares a common understanding.

Youth Outlook, a Naperville-based organization, offers support to teens that identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning (LGBTQ). The group helps the teens grow as individuals and develop a positive self-image.

Nancy Mullen, executive director for Youth Outlook, said the organization first started providing support for adolescents in 1998 and has seen the numbers seeking support and community grow.

“Our goal is to provide safe space where they can form their own social network,” Mullen said.

Over the years, things have changed, she said. Back in the 1990s, Youth Outlook had two drop in sites in Hinsdale and Aurora. Today they have four: Naperville, Geneva, Aurora and DeKalb. In the '90s there were few gay-straight alliance groups, but today the groups are much more common and teens are much more politically active and aware of their civil rights.

“They are much more vocal about requesting support and inclusion,” Mullen said. And, more students are asking teachers to stop bullying when it occurs in school.

One trend Mullen has noticed over the years is that more youths are coming out at a much younger age, around 12 or 13. The age when teens would come out used to be 19.

Youth Outlook gets calls from middle school counselors who have students coming out, Mullen said. The schools are working to be more respectful and accommodating.

Many of the youths who attend the Tuesday night drop in are older, generally between 14 and 20, Mullen said. Once at the get together they will watch a movie, socialize and hear a speaker.

The organization has secured grant funding that allows it to bring in speakers to share pertinent information and discuss important topics with the teens, she said. The group might offer an education program on HIV and prevention, which allows the teens to have a realistic discussion.

According to Mental Health America, a nonprofit with the goal of helping all people live mentally healthy lives, adolescents who identify as LGBTQ may encounter anti-gay slurs at least 26 times a day.

Mentally, they are at risk, not because of their sexual orientation but because of the prejudice and hatred that often surrounds them, according to Mental Health America. They are also two to three times more likely to commit suicide.

Often the teens feel they have nobody to turn to and don’t know a supportive adult, according to Mental Health America. In turn, the teens are more likely to drop out of school than their heterosexual peers.

"One of the things I get asked when I go out is, 'what can we do to help the kids?'" Mullen said. "For adults who are supportive or respecting, whether you realize it or not, you are already involved in suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth."

Youth Outlook also partners with other organizations including & Family Services and the YMCA, organizations that have work to support LGBTQ youths, Mullen said.

She is hoping that more teens learn about Youth Outlook so that they find a place where they can find respect and also have fun, she said.

“Some kids walk in thinking they are the only kid in the school who is gay,” she said. “And, some kids say outright, ‘I’m the only kid who is out.’”

Once they are at the drop-in, they might find others peers from school and realize they are not alone, she said.