harbinger
issue 3 / october 4, 2005 / 7500 mission road prairie village, kansas
right of passage Students band together at local gay and lesbian youth group
by hallie mccormick William is gay. When the pastor at 20-year-old William’s church tried to grope him, he left the church, the only home he had. He left because he didn’t want to have anything to do with the pastor who was married with kids. William had been living in an apartment provided by the church. With nowhere to go, he turned to the only place he knew could help him: Passages, Kansas City’s only youth program dedicated to gays and lesbians. Within four hours, Passages leaders had found him a job at McDonald’s, and a place to stay. Passages helps teens who have been disowned from their parents and have been left on the street, like William, because of their sexuality. They provide a loving environment, and connections with other outreach programs to give these homeless kids a safe place to go. They offer friendships, organized activities and just a place to hangout. Some of the kids who go are from East. They come to Passages not for housing, but just to be around other kids like them. Unlike high school, there is no pressure to fit in. Senior Katie Van Mol goes to Passages even though she’s straight. She started going because her best friend was a lesbian, and she would accompany her there. The people there became her close friends, and she continues to attend just to keep in contact. photo illustration by kelsey stabenow
“Passages isn’t like a counseling service,” Van Mol said. “It’s just a place to come and hang out, and if you want to talk about your problems, there are people there to talk to.” For the kids who need protection from the streets, Passages is there for them; finding them apartments and helping them out when money is scarce. “Usually, rent and food are the two biggest problems for kids on their own,” Passages leader Glenn said. “We help the kids cover that. We just had a kid who needed a dentist appointment, but didn’t have the money to afford it. We paid for that too.” The teens of Passages spend much of their time together. They’re even in each other’s company on holidays. Passages provides an annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for any who wish to attend. Teens come to Passages from all over: Topeka, Grandview, Leavenworth, Olathe and sometimes traveling as long as two hours just to get to Westport where the Passages building is located. Passages sessions meet three times a week. On Wednesday, kids come to watch a few movies and eat dinner with their friends. Saturday is what they call “Club Queer” when there is a D.J. and the teens get to dance. Coffee Talk is on Sunday. This is a teen led group discussion of what ever is going on in their lives. Discussions range from talking about how hard it is for gay couples to get an adoption, to the threats kids get in their high schools.
continued on page 7