FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio – Kids lead the programming at Colors+, an LGTBQ nonprofit that serves kids in nine Northeast Ohio counties.
“We started with support groups, but the youth were very quick to tell us that is not what they wanted,” said Kristen Pepera, a clinical counselor and co-founder.
They now offer drop-in nights for LGBTQ+ kids, as well as trans and gender+ youth, inclusive sexual health classes, art therapy, a clothing affirmation program and drag programming – as well as family counseling and support groups. It’s all fashioned with direct input from the youth.
Pepera, and her wife, Lisa, founded Colors+ in January 2019, working out of a 250-square-foot office that housed both their private mental-health practices and the non-profit support center. It was small operation, but what the couple could afford. Their goal was to provide consistent programming for youth exploring, or embracing, their sexual identity.
Thanks to the success of their programming – and supporting grants from local agencies – Colors+ will celebrate the grand opening of a new 3,500-square-foot space at 21430 Lorain Road on June 18.
Colors+ began with support from the LGBTQ Community Center but has since received grants from the Three Arches Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (for its drag programming), and the ADAMHS Board (to support therapy groups). They also receive technology support from Neighbor-up, which allows youth at risk to borrow portable hot spots to be able to connect with counselors at the center.
The programming is overseen by the 12 mental health professionals on staff for ages 3-19.
“We felt it important that all of our services have a mental health professional involved, not because our youth are inherently mentally ill, but if we can spot warning signs, or red flags, and provide healthy coping skills, we can help them in crisis when those arise,” Pepera explained. “Watch care and coping skills are so needed right now. We are losing youth to suicide. So many are battling depression and anxiety, and the legislation targeting LGBTQ kids is a big factor.”
Lakewood soap maker STEM will sell a special bar of rainbow soap through the month of June. 100% of the sales will be donated to Colors+ (Photo by Brenda Cain, cleveland.com)
In the past, Pepera said the center had never called parents or community services for wellness checks on any of their youth in the program. In the last months, they have made as many as 10 calls to ensure kids in the program are not going to harm themselves.
“At first they are angry that we made those calls, but ultimately, they are grateful,” she explained. “They know when they express thoughts like that, that we are just acting because we want them to stay safe.”
Fear is feeding the trend of LGBTQ suicides.
“It takes a long time for a young person to accept their sexuality in themselves because there is so much stigma still associated with being LGBTQ. There are so many questions as to whether their friends and family – they people they love most – are going to allow them to be themselves,” Pepera said.
This banner was created by one of the youth who attends the Colors+ Youth Center on Lorain Road. The brightly colored space is decorated with art work created by its members (Photo by Brenda Cain, cleveland.com)
According to a recent survey by the Trevor Project, less than half of LGBTQ youth feel support in school.
“Not being able to be your authentic self that many hours a week, then add to that if you don’t feel accepted at home, That, alone, would do a number on anyone’s mental health,” she said. “The coming out process is a lifelong one. For many, some places they are ‘out’ and other places they have to be ‘in’ for their personal safety.
Colors + is especially concerned about a recent bill targeting transgender student athletes. The controversial language was slipped into a separate bill late at night to require girls to get physical examinations, including a genital inspection, genetic test and blood work to check hormone levels, if their biological sex is questioned. The Senate will likely take up the issue in November.
“For Trans youth, they have an incrementally much harder time. Many have had to go back in the closet, creating increased isolation and depression.”
LGBTQ suicides are on the rise in the United States. Lately, Colors+ has found counselors have had to make more calls for social service wekkness checks than ever before. (Photo by Brenda Cain, cleveland.com)
According to Pepera, nearly one-third of LGBTQ youth will come out to a friend or sibling first.
That is why Colors+ also offers counseling services for the entire family.
“We see the whole gambit of reactions by family members – some parents don’t want to talk at all, some question whether it is ‘just a phase,’ while other parents want to climb on board and fully support their kids. The majority are somewhere in the middle. They have a lot of concerns, especially over the fact that their kids will face extra obstacles in life, and they just want to support them,” Pepera explained. “We make sure they can get their questions answered because if they don’t, that confusion can come out as bitterness and resentment towards their kids.
“Our answer: follow your child. Let them explore and feel safe doing so with supportive people around them. You don’t have to understand it to respect it.”