Faces of Outlet

Former Outlet youth tells us how it was and how it is.
Featured interview with Lowell R. in the February 2011 issue of OutSpoken eNews

JF: When were you an Outlet youth and why did you start coming to Outlet at that time? LR: I started coming to Outlet in 2005, when I was a sophomore in high school. I had recently come out to my mom and was able to convince her to let me go.

I think my first time going to Outlet was for a transgender day of remembrance game/movie night, but I mostly attended the Monday night group. I started coming to Outlet to meet other queer and questioning youth and to find support, because I didn't know many other queer people at the time.

JF: Where are you now and what are you up to?

LR: Now I am a junior studying engineering at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. I am studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia this coming semester and will be back at Mudd in the fall for my final year! I am not sure of my plans after college, but I've got my eye on business school. I'm quite active with the queer community on campus, and lead the Mudd Queer-Straight Alliance called Prism. You can also spot me performing in drag every now and then, under the name Okama Jinja.

JF: What was the hardest thing about being a Queer Youth?

LR: One of the hardest things about being a queer youth was just meeting people I could relate to. Outlet provided an amazing space where even though the only thing I may have shared in common with someone was that we were queer, I still felt comfortable around them and felt free to present myself as I was. I didn't have to perform as anyone at Outlet. I could be pure, unfiltered, Lowell.

JF: What was the best thing?

LR: The best thing about being a queer youth was learning how to overcome challenges. Being queer, on top of wrestling with the typical issues of middle school and high school, has provided me with a skill set that I may not have had otherwise.

JF: What are some ways Outlet has impacted your life?

LR: One of the ways Outlet impacted my life was by introducing me to an extremely diverse set of people. Not only does Outlet attract people who are diverse in their queerness, but it also attracts people who are diverse across many spectrums. It was a great place to meet all kinds of youth. I felt that going into college, I was ahead of the game in terms of being comfortable with queer people and with my own queer identity. I owe a lot of that confidence to Outlet.

JF: What would you say to the LGBTQ and Questioning youth of today?

LR: To the LGBTQ and questioning youth of today: A quote from one of my favorite songs: "You've got to make your own kind of music, sing your own kind of song, even if nobody else sings along."

JF: Do you remember what it was like when you first attended Out to Eat?

LR: I remember attending Out to Eat before it was held at the Computer Museum (it was at a nice hotel on El Camino, I believe). I sold raffle tickets before everyone was seated and had a great time meeting non-youth and getting to interact with them. It was always fun meeting older Outlet friends and volunteers at events.