Friday, February 3, 2023

Our Safe Space: February 2023

 




Happy Black History Month! We wanted to share some important statistics that reflect the importance of recognizing the specific experiences of Black LGBTQIA+ folks.
 
  1. Transgender and gender nonconforming (trans/GNC) Black students experienced greater levels of victimization based on sexual orientation, gender expression, and race/ethnicity than LGBTQ cisgender Black students.
  2. Black LGBTQ students who identified with multiple racial/ethnic identities experienced greater levels of victimization based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation than LGBTQ students who only identified as Black.
  3. Two-fifths of Black LGBTQ students interviewed (40.0%) experienced harassment or assault at school due to both their sexual orientation and their race/ethnicity.
  4. Compared to those who experienced one form of victimization or neither, Black LGBTQ students who experienced both forms of victimization:
1.      experienced the lowest levels of school belonging;
2.      had the greatest levels of depression; and
3.      were the most likely to skip school because they felt unsafe.
 
We hope this briefly highlights the importance of advocacy, education, understanding, and acceptance for all LGBTQIA+ youth, but especially those who hold multiple identities.
 
 
Attached is the February Calendar for you all to reference/share.  A few events we would like to highlight:
  • We will have a Youth Chat on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14th, where we will talk about what healthy relationships look like.
  • Caregiver Jam, Feb. 22nd at 6pm, will now be held virtually in hopes of being more accessible for caregivers to access our services.
  • San Ysidro Health Center is hosting a HIV and substance use screening for youth on Feb. 23rd at 12pm in OSP.
  • Cooking Night, Feb. 24th at 4:30pm, we will prepare a big meal together, encouraging youth to learn new cooking skills and make easy nutritious meals they can recreate at home!
 
If you have any questions about services, please contact oursafeplace@csbcs.org, or call us at 619-628-2444.