9781422275290

Introduction Being LGBTQ is a great thing. But it’s no secret that LGBTQ people face unique problems, especially young people. It’s well known that school-age kids can be bullied for being different, and sometimes that can make them feel alone and excluded. It can affect how they see themselves and cause them to have low self-esteem, even depression. It’s because of issues like this that the LGBTQ community has become such a strong and powerful place. LGBTQ people have learned how to have each other’s backs. They’ve learned how to pick each other up when others are trying to tear them down. They’ve learned how to make each other feel supported and cared about. That’s the power of community. Like most words, community can be used in many different ways. Of course, a community can be a town, neighborhood, or city— when people form a community simply because they’re in the same place. We also often use it just to mean any group of people. But the word has a deeper meaning when we talk about communities like the LGBTQ community. Fabian Pfortmuller, who helps people build communities professionally, wrote on the Web site Medium his definition of this type of community: “a group of people that care about each other and feel they belong together.” He explains the “care about each other” portion of that definition: “The individuals in a group are not just random strangers, they have relationships with each other. . . . They care more about the people in this group than about the average person they meet on the street. This is where the magic of a community happens. When people care about each other, they develop trust. And trust unlocks collaboration, sharing, support, hope, safety and much more.” It’s common for LGBTQ people to feel a connection with others based on that shared characteristic of sexual orientation or gender orientation. There’s something about having something that important in common with each other that links people, even people who have no other connection.

8 You Are Not Alone • Finding Your LGBTQ Community