From: harris@cs.unc.edu (Trey Harris)
[1] Demands made to NGLTF by youth
Date: Mon Nov 15 08:21:41 EST 1993
Organization: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

We dedicate this statement of demands to all those who have struggled
and died unacknowledged, prior to us.


Whereas the age at which most young people acknowledge their sexual
        identity is between 14  and 16 for men, and 16  and 19 for
        women; and

Whereas it is estimated that 30% of youth suicides are committed by
        lesbian/gay youth, and whereas  gay and lesbian youth are 2-3
        times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth;
        and

Whereas 26% of gay youth are forced to leave home because of their
        sexual identities; and

Whereas 68% of young gay men and 83% of young lesbians report using
        alcohol and other drugs on a regular basis; and

Whereas 41% of lesbian/gay youth suffer violence from their families,
        peers and strangers; and

Whereas in 1992 approximately 20% of all persons with AIDS/HIV were
        most likely infected as teenagers; and

Whereas bisexual and transgender youth are not included in these
        studies; and

Whereas we appreciate the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in
        their dedication to build a movement promoting freedom and full
        equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, we
        believe that this movement must actively include and honor youth.

Therefore, be it resolved that:

We, the young lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trangendered at
Creating Change Youth Intensive, demand and deserve positive action
taken toward the following by December 31, 1993:

*       access and presentation time to the plenary session at the
        brunch on Sunday;

*       access and presentation time to the gala on Saturday evening;


*       statistically proportional representation  for GLBT youth
        (based on the 1990 Census BureauUs estimation of the
        percentage of Americans 25 and under) voting on the NGLTF
        board, at least one of which must go to a youth under 21 with
        gender and racial parity.  These places will either be
        non-fundraising or reduced fundraising;

*       youth of color represented fairly in NGLTF;

*       action taken in a direct manner to end the increasing rate of
        suicide among GLBT youth;

*       a college and cost-of-living fund created for GLBT youth whose
        parents cut them off;

*       an area on the NGLTF area on America Online maintained and
        organized by NGLTF, set aside for GLBT youth;

*       a youth steering committee to choose the criteria for
        selection of GLBT youth board members and action for NGLTF to
        take in youth issues;

*       direct action taken to end the skyrocketing incidence of
        AIDS/HIV and other STDs among youth;

*       a Youth Institute prior to the 1994 Creating Change conference
        in Dallas that does not conflict with any other Institutes,
        particularly those for people of color;

*       designated funding for youth and youth-oriented programs;
        early designation of time and space for youth to plan and
        fundraise for the 1994 Creating Change conference in Dallas;

*       GLBT youth of color scholarships;

*       a youth staff member of NGLTF dedicated to creating a GLBT
        youth movement;

*       recognition for the contributions of GLBT youth to the movement as a
        whole today, past, and future;

*       reduced rates for GLBT youth to attend future Creating Change
        conferences and all NGLTF functions;

*       a longer time period for youth to apply for scholarships to
        future Creating Change conferences, and more outreach to make
        youth aware;

*       special programs and outreach for GLBT youth in
        underrepresented sectors, such as those who are in foster
        care, in rural areas, homeless or in juvenile detention;

*       more vocal advocacy of issues of importance to GLBT youth;

*       the addition of ageism in all training by NGLTF.

We further demand that a conference call be made by NGLTF for all
those who wrote these demands to work on them by December 31, 1993.

Trey Harris