This summer, the Seattle Parks and Recreation debuted its new Born This Way Kafé, a Friday-evening recreational program for lesbian, gay, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) teenagers.
Named after the hit Lady Gaga song, “Born this Way,” the Kafé offers LGBTQ teens a welcoming place with live performances, music, games, food, poetry and friends.
“We want to have a definite place where urban kids can say, ‘I am born this way, I am here and I am here to stay,’” said Royal Alley-Barnes, executive director of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center for Seattle Parks and Recreation. “We were all born this way.”
The Kafé kicked off a successful pilot run on July 15 and will continue every Friday evening at the Cal Anderson Park Shelterhouse, 1635 11th Ave. The Kafé serves teens age 13 to 19. All LGBTQ youths are welcome, as well as friends and allies.
A marginalized group
The program stems from the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, which celebrates the African-American performing arts, and queer youths of color are particularly encouraged to participate.
Alley-Barnes said that this program was needed because LGBTQ young people are often marginalized: “I was not seeing enough of our gifted LGBTQ youth. I said, ‘Come on guys. We can do this, because this is who we are.’”
The National Coalition for the Homeless found in 2009 that LGBTQ youths are at greater risk for severe life problems such homelessness and suicide. LGBTQ young people are also a higher risk for victimization, mental health issues and unsafe sexual practices. Sixty-two percent of homeless LGBTQ youths commit suicide, compared to 29 percent of heterosexual homeless youth.
In addition, nearly all LGBTQ youths experience aggravated school problems such as bullying and harassment. The Kafé and other similar programs are geared toward fighting such injustices.
Finding ‘that voice’
The first three Kafé sessions have drawn crowds of 20 to 25 participants from all over the Greater Seattle area, including Issaquah, Seatac and Tacoma. Additionally, each session drew a significantly different core crowd, which spoke to the broad numbers of teens who are interested in the program.
According to Alley-Barnes, in the future, the Kafé intends to start similar efforts in other nearby cities, so teens who live outside Seattle will not need to travel as far.
“It’s all about having the environment and then getting out that voice,” Alley-Barnes explained.
The Born This Way Kafé project was initiated from the Seattle Parks COD (Celebrating Our Diversity) efforts, aimed at championing queer youths of color. The Kafé also draws upon the resources of GLSEN Washington State, an LGBTQ educational network committed to creating safe schools for LGBTQ students nationwide.
The Kafé is being advertised mostly through websites and social media.
“Born This Way Kafé gets into a really profound discussion,” Alley-Barnes said, about how all people are born the way they are. “And for LGBTQ youth, the Kafé is for them to be their creative self. It creates an energy that is just amazing.”
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