This Homecoming Gets Better: Live Out Loud Brings it Homo
More : Homecoming Project, It gets better, Live Out Loud, Support LGBTTQ
by Jordan Arseneault
on November 17, 2010
In the wake of the viral “It Gets Better” videos started by “Savage Love” sexpert Dan Savage, 2B decided to investigate the anti-homophobia work of a smaller organization with a big heart: NYC’s Live Out Loud. For many of us, the recent media attention on gay teen suicides and homophobic attacks south of the border has been a new reminder of an age-old problem, hitting at the core of our safety as people and as a community. So I rang up Leo Preziosi, Jr., the executive director and founder of Live Out Loud in New York City about their Homecoming Project, and we liked what we heard.
Related Posts
- Live Out Loud doc Homecoming Project to air on PBS Feb. 1st
- John Baird agrees to help LGBTs at Commonwealth, jumps on “It Gets Better” bandwagon
- Ottawa teen takes his own life: depression and bullying to blame
Leo is a thoughtful man with a mission: prevent teen suicides through outreach, dialogue, and role modeling. He founded Live Out Loud after reading a report entitled “The Gun in the Closet”, written about gay adolescent suicides in the year 2000, and his Lower West Side non-profit has been fighting ever since to prevent the kinds of tragedies which have so rightly taken up national headlines.“How can this still be happening? What have I been doing?” Leo asked himself at the time, feeling called to action long before the current spate of deaths. “I need to get these people connected to great people in GAY community.” Eight years later, the Homecoming Project is galvanizing the LGBTTQ community to go back to their home town high schools to inspire the next generation of gay youth with “stories, lessons, and hope.”
Their first high-profile “Homecomer” was the dashing and articulate Lance Black, Academy-Award winning screenwriter for Milk, who was invited to partake in the Project and go back to his hometown high school in North Salinas California. Mr. Black said he loved the project and became the star of a web-based video Lance Black’s Homecoming Project. Speaking in a gym packed with more than 1000 students, Black speaks openly of his conservative upbringing, the despair of being closeted, and his hope for happiness beyond high school. His speech prompts cheering ovations, tears throughout the audience, and one student revealing that he had come out to his parents. Dressed in a crisp white shirt, black tie, and designer jeans, the unusually attractive activist screenwriter also speaks to the students who successfully established a Gay-Straight Alliance in their school.
When Live Out Loud started, they focused their efforts on high-profile LGBT community members to go back to high schools in the NY metropolitan area. As a celebrity, Lance Black was an exception, and was a necessary media coup for the Homecoming Project, which is only the most recent of a host of anti-homophobia activities Preziosi oversees. In contrast to Montréal’s GRIS, which sends “normal” gays and lesbians into high schools to talk about how LGBT people are just like your average Joe (only gay!), the Homecoming Project emphasizes “successful gay adults,” with the notion of positive role models at its core; a famous gay screenwriter made good publicity, especially given the power of viral video with the teen generation.
The Project’s first participant was Frank Polito, author of Band Fags. He was excited to participante but wondered “What am I going to talk about?” He wound up talking about being a self-published author in a long term relationship with a man who is welcomed by his family.
Live Out Loud soon came to realize the most needed outreach was to high schools in African American and Latino low-income areas. But they will go into any school to work with students and teachers. They go where they get the request. “Every kid needs help. You can be isolated and rich and white. Middle income and lower income is a different kind of isolation.” Live Out Loud also operates an outreach programme at the YMCA on 14th off of 6th Ave, where they offer workshops and support to LGBTTQ youth who are coping with family, life, and social issues, such as needing to avoid a homophobia home.
On his inspiration to create the Homecoming Project, Leo gets serious, but keeps his inspired and warm tone: “Everyone has their own individuality, and every culture is very special. The LGBT community is extraordinarily special. When you don’t have rights, there’s a part of you… you get more creative and innovative. There’s other things you tap into. The most important thing for us is to share our story, to be on school grounds, to talk to kids, straight and gay.”
“Share about someone who you know who’s gay, who’s had an impact on your life,” urges Preziosi. In one of their interventions, Leo’s volunteers showed youth photos of gay people from history and the media. The teens wound up sharing very personal stories of their family members who were gay. A week later, a 12 year-old gay boy came out during a peer-to-peer workshop, to the amazement of staff and participants alike. Leo describes the magical moment when “Everyone got very quiet and said he was really courageous and told him ‘We got your back.’” If that doesn’t give you shivers of gay hope, I don’t know what will!
For more information on the Homecoming Project, go to www.liveoutloud.info
And if you haven’t already, check out Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project, and, locally, check out Project 10 and GRIS (see links below) to find out how you can help fight homophobia and give hope and support to LGBTTQ youth.
“I feel I could come out to the world!” –Student at Hillcrest High School Queens, NY commenting after visit from author Eric Marcus, 2008
1 comment
Hey Jordan,
Thank you for informing your readers about Live Out Loud’s Homecoming Project! We were thrilled to work with Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black in May of 2009 to go back to his high school in North Salinas, CA. We had 6 weeks to organize it and fortunate for us, the school was incredibly helpful (not always the case). The students loved Lance, they surrounded him after the presentation for autographs, photos and to say hello and shake his hand. Lance was incredibly generous with his time, he stayed with us for about 6 hours, giving 2 speeches, 3 interviews and spent some time running around the high school to see old teachers. It was one of the most happiest days of my life. After 10 years of doing this work, to cross the country, work with Lance and present in front of a students body of over 1000 – it was just incredible. On another note, we are happy to work with anyone to go back to their high school, not just famous people.
Thanks again for the beautiful article! We all need to do anything we can to be there for these LGBTQ kids!
Gratefully yours,
Leo Preziosi, Jr.
Founder / Executive Director
Live Out Loud
http://www.liveoutloud.info