An important solution for meeting the needs of Black LGBTQ+ youth is creating safe spaces that are fully welcoming, while also being free of racism and queerphobia.
An important thing to emphasize is removing barriers from these safe spaces to make them as easy to access as possible. The director of services for the Chicago-based LGBTQ+ nonprofit Youth Empowerment Performance Project, Ka’Riel Gaiter, told The 19th that things like forced IDs for entry to these spaces often work to exclude marginalized youth, such as those who are homeless or those who have a mismatch between their ID and gender presentation.
He detailed, “I see them experience discrimination on a systemic level. There are not specific spaces anymore that are implementing harm reduction methods and trauma-informed methods of care that will actually meet these people where they are when they walk through their doors to receive services.”
-- Mira Lazine, "Black LGBTQ+ youth face rejection from multiple sources. They need safe spaces." (LGBTQ NATION).
