SPOTLIGHT Youth STORY Scott Kearnan
The Kids Are All Right
Fenway Health Young Leaders Council Steering Committee. PHOTO The Danger Booth.
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD YOUTH COUNCIL RECEIVES FIRST ANNUAL AWARD If you listen to some of the more cynical voices within the older generations of LGBT activists—those who bravely steered the community through Stonewall, the AIDS crisis, and the fight for equal marriage—you might believe that younger queers are apathetic snowflakes who lack the feistiness and fight of their forebears. Wrong. The issues are different and so are the approaches, but younger LGBT activists are as engaged as ever. And one organization is introducing a new way honor them. At its seventh anniversary party in February, the Young Leaders Council (YLC) of Fenway Health offered its inaugural “Spirit of the YLC Award” to member Kate Moore. Moore has a long history in progressive politics: For the last four years she’s been the regional director for firebrand Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, and she also served as deputy political director for Hillary for New Hampshire during the 2016 presidential campaign. Most of all, Moore embodies the passion— and yes, spirit—that is fueling a younger generation of LGBT leaders reeling from the advent of the Trump administration and the sudden fear that hard-won rights could now find themselves on the chopping block. “A fire has been lit,” says YLC co-chair Katelyn Dolan. “Over the recent years, our generation has seen a lot of positive change. And for the first time, we’re seeing
18 | BOSTON SPIRIT
that could be compromised. There’s a vulnerability that we haven’t experienced before. It’s been hard for us to imagine what the LGBT community had to go through 20-plus years ago.” “Now we’re faced with the biggest fight of our generation, to this point. It’s energizing. It can also be frustrating and scary. But we’re all up for the challenge.” Indeed, the ranks of the YLC are growing. Last year the YLC, which engages primarily twenty- and thirty-somethings in the mission of Fenway Health, America’s largest LGBT-focused healthcare facility, swelled to over 300 members. Besides building a young base of new philanthropists, the organization also galvanizes members around social justice issues that impact the LGBT community—including, of course, health care. “There are a lot of organizations out there that are worth getting behind, that affect our lives in different ways,” says YLC co-chair Jonathan Litt. “But whether it’s access to healthcare providers or research in public health, Fenway is uniquely positioned help advance and advocate for the health of our community.” Ensuring the health of Fenway itself is front-of-mind for YLC members, whose fundraising—which totaled over $115,000 in 2016 alone—goes to unrestricted funds for Fenway Health. That could be especially important in a
post-Trump era, should the administration make decisions impacting federal funds. “The YLC has always done well with engaging advocacy and awareness,” says Litt. “In the current political climate, we have no intent to roll that back. If anything, it’s going to be amped up.” To that end, the YLC is also working to address the importance of diversity and intersectionality, and making sure that all members of the LGBT community—particularly marginalized groups like transgender individuals, queer people of color and the economically disadvantaged—have access to a seat at the conference table or a spot on the party guest list. Last year the YLC launched an “engagement subcommittee” that is examining how everything from programming decisions to event venue choices can foster inclusiveness. For instance, last year the YLC hosted a TED Talk-style “Advocacy 11” event for Transgender Awareness Month, in partnership with the SparkBoston Council of Mayor Walsh’s office. February’s anniversary party was held at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in the South End, a cornerstone within the city’s Latinx community. For a long time, the more mainstream agendas in the fight for LGBT rights prioritized the interests of heteronormative gay men, say some younger activists. “Our generation is looking back to Stonewall and realizing that a lot of people were left behind,” says YLC steering committee member Stephen Martyak. “It’s our responsibility to make sure all our communities are represented at the table.” [x]