COVER STORY

LGBTQ+ youth build community in Oasis Center’s Just Us program

JUST US WILL SPONSOR THIS YEAR’S YOUTH AREA AT NASHVILLE PRIDE

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

LBGTQ+ youth homelessness rates are high. Of all youth who are currently experiencing homelessness, somewhere around 40 percent identify somewhere on that spectrum, says Joseph Clark, manager of the Just Us program at Oasis Center.

“Family rejection is the leading cause of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness,” Clark says. “Other factors include aging out of the foster system, poverty, running away to escape physical abuse and/or sexual abuse and faith based rejection tied with family based rejection.”

According to a 2018 survey done by the Human Rights Campaign, only 24 percent of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed said they could be themselves at home, and 67 percent of people said they’d heard people in their families make negative comments about LGBTQ+ people.

“Studies have shown the positive health outcomes for [LGBTQ+] youth whose families are supportive and accepting, including greater self-esteem and resilience, and a lower risk of negative health outcomes such as depression, distress, hopelessness and substance use,” the report says.

For those with unsupportive families, building new communities becomes even more important.

The Just Us program works toward helping youth find community again — it started in 2011 as a single program for LGBTQ+ high school aged youth, and has, “grown into an entire department that offers online and in-person programming for middle school youth through Becoming Us, a year long internship for future activists and advocates through Students of Stonewall, and individual and small group therapy,” Clark says.

All of Oasis Center’s services, including mental health support, are free for young people. No person pays for anything at Just Us or Oasis Center, which was founded in 1969 and has relied heavily on the support and generosity of the Nashville community since its inception.

The Just Us programs serve about 150 young people each year, and their virtual programming has removed a barrier to access and expanded our reach across the state to some of the more rural parts of Tennessee where LGBTQ+ youth are much more socially isolated, Clark says. They offer a summer camp for middle schoolers called Just Camp at Percy Priest as well as group trips and an LGBTQ+ Prom, which was held this year on April 26.

While the majority of the program at Just Us is centered around direct youth programming, Just Us also develops and facilitates trainings on creating and supporting open and affirming spaces for community and corporate partners such as MNPS, Juvenile Court, Nashville Zoo, Nissan and the Country Music Association.

Visit nashvillepride.org for a full lineup of events and entertainment for Nashville Pride weekend June 25-26.

The parade is free to attend. General admission to the festival is $5 per day, per person and includes entry to the festival and all musical performances.

“Through team builders, college and career access, hands-on service learning, and enrichment Just Us strives to provide a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ youth to explore and celebrate their identities wholly and authentically,” Clark says.

This year Just Us is sponsoring the youth area at the festival at Nashville Pride this year. On June 25 and June 26, Pride includes the festival, the crowning of a king and queen, a parade through downtown Nashville and a music lineup including Tanya Tucker, WALK THE MOON, Bully, Daisha McBride, VIN- CINT, Bantug and more.

The Just Us Youth Area will provide a safe and relaxing space for LGBTQ+ youth to connect, and build community, with their LGBTQ+ peers through Giant Jenga, Giant Uno, Giant Connect Four, a Pride button making station, a manicure station and Nashville Pride swag giveaways.

All activities within the Youth Area will be free of charge, and any young person is welcome to stop by, Clark says. It’s part of the organization’s mission to provide community-based support to young people so that they grow into the adults they want to become.

“Just Us is the only full-time staffed, funded, and intentional positive youth development program for LGBTQ+ youth in Tennessee, and we want nothing more than for LGBTQ+ youth to grow into happy, productive, and proud LGBTQ+ adults,” Clark says.