{"id":337505,"date":"2025-10-28T03:30:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T03:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/337505\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T03:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T03:30:36","slug":"chicagos-lgbtq-youth-why-their-zip-code-still-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/337505\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago\u2019s LGBTQ+ youth: Why their zip code still matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: The following article was possible through a grant provided through Comcast.<\/p>\n

On Chicago\u2019s West Side, the ballroom scene doubles as a lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth.<\/p>\n

Every week, teens are drawn into\u00a0TaskForce Prevention & Community Services<\/a>\u00a0for its popular\u00a0Vogue School. Once there, they then have access to a variety of resources like housing support, a food pantry, fresh produce and mental health services.<\/p>\n

For many, it\u2019s the only affirming environment in their neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re located here in Austin, and there isn\u2019t really any other LGBTQ+ youth program like us on the West Side,\u201d said Reyna Ortiz, program director at the nonprofit. \u201cIt\u2019s special because young people don\u2019t have to go Downtown or to the North side to feel like they belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ortiz\u2019s perspective underscores a long-standing reality that access to LGBTQ+ youth resources often depends on your zip code.<\/p>\n

\"\"A participant in Center on Halsted\u2019s youth program wears a shirt that says _Every Trans Child is a Blessing._ Photo by Kathleen Hinkel for Center on Halsted<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s largest LGBTQ+ institutions have a prominence on the North Side, which is home to LGBTQ+ enclaves like Northalsted and Andersonville. This can leave queer youth on the South and West sides having to face longer commutes and other barriers when trying to access affirming services.<\/p>\n

And when queer youth don\u2019t have these kinds of resources nearby, it can create gaps that shape their health, education and economic futures. But North Side-based institutions\u2014as well as smaller LGBTQ+ orgs on the South and West sides and some citywide organizations\u2014are working to fill these gaps.<\/p>\n

Concentration of resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two of Chicago\u2019s largest LGBTQ+ organizations, the\u00a0Center on Halsted<\/a>\u00a0and Howard Brown Health\u2019s\u00a0Broadway Youth Center<\/a>, are both situated on the North Side.<\/p>\n

\"\"LGBTQ+ youth photographed at Center on Halsted\u2019s Trans Ice Cream Social event. Photo by Kathleen Hinkel for Center on Halsted<\/p>\n

At Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., youth and family programming spans drop-in spaces, leadership and mentoring opportunities and support groups for LGBTQ+ youth.\u00a0 statewide LGBTQ+ hotline provides additional access for young people beyond its Lakeview base.<\/p>\n

CEO Joli Robinson said the Center has been intentional about expanding youth programming beyond the North Side through partnerships with other LGBTQ+ organizations and by introducing programs to its South Side location, the Center on Cottage Grove, 6323 S. Cottage Grove Ave.<\/p>\n

\u201cA week or so ago, we started our first drop-in space at the Center on Cottage Grove, which has been a priority for us over the past year and a half that I\u2019ve been with the organization,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cWe also partner with organizations like\u00a0Chicago House<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Life is Work<\/a>, \u2026 and work to strengthen relationships with the GSAs in schools and PFLAG organizations that exist on the South and West sides.\u201d<\/p>\n

These kinds of collaborations are crucial to reaching LGBTQ+ youth in all neighborhoods of Chicago, Robinson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are organizations that they may already have a strong relationship with, and by deepening our partnerships with them, we\u2019re leveraging the expertise of people who are in these neighborhoods to make sure we\u2019re working in collaboration,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

The Broadway Youth Center, 1023 W. Irving Park Road, serves LGBTQ+ youth ages 12 to 24, particularly those experiencing homelessness or housing instability. It provides integrated medical and mental health care, sexual and reproductive health services, case management and mental wellness support.<\/p>\n

The Broadway Youth Center\u2019s drop-in space also offers meals, clothing, showers and other essentials, while cultural programming like art and dance provides additional affirming outets.<\/p>\n

Both organizations state their programs are open to youth citywide and emphasize outreach through hotlines, housing services and broader support networks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, their physical bases on the North Side mean that young people in other parts of the city often face barriers to access them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we don\u2019t want transportation to be a barrier for individuals,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want location to be a barrier for individuals to participate in some of our programming, so it really is incumbent upon us to be very strategic and think creatively about how we engage the full city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Filling gaps on the South and West sides<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Youth from TaskForce performing at the 2025 Chicago Pride Parade. Photo by Maximo Solorzano for TaskForce<\/p>\n

TaskForce is among the organizations working to fill these gaps.<\/p>\n

Based in Austin on the West Side, the nonprofit offers youth services that are culturally specific, including housing support, food access, and sexual health testing.<\/p>\n

Equally as important is TaskForce\u2019s Vogue School, which uses voguing and ballroom culture to strengthen community and encourage self expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cBallroom is important because it\u2019s the one place where they can showcase their talents, where they can showcase who they are without any type of restrictions, without any type of judgment,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cBallroom and vogue are how our kids see themselves celebrated. It\u2019s culture, it\u2019s community, and it\u2019s also leadership development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ortiz said TaskForce also provides a steady presence in a neighborhood where resources are limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are consistent, we are here, we are present and we are open,\u201d Ortiz said.<\/p>\n

TaskForce is also home to\u00a0PrEP 4 Teens<\/a>, a citywide program focused on HIV prevention and sexual health among youth. While it\u2019s open to teens across Chicago, staff said they are especially focused on reaching those on the South and West Sides who often face the steepest barriers to access.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking to collaborate more with agencies, both in the south and west side of Chicago,\u201d said program lead David Gauna. \u201cWe know those are the young people who need us most.\u201d<\/p>\n

That focus reflects the larger imbalance in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about equitable access,\u201d said Jim Pickett, one of the program\u2019s organizers. \u201cAnd so there\u2019s a real lack of equity throughout Chicago, and we could certainly have a much more equitable distribution of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

PrEP4Teens was shaped by youth themselves, Gauna added.<\/p>\n

\"\"A PrEP4Teens leader handing out a program completion certificate at the 2025 PrEP4Teens Arts and Health Ambassador Program Art Showcase. Photo by Hannah Peweeonce bee. <\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people created this,\u201d Gauna said. \u201cThey decided the colors, the imagery, the language. They said, \u2018We don\u2019t want this to be medical. We want this to be something fun. We want this to be engaging.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That youth-driven design is what makes it resonate, said Skai Underwood, who also runs PrEP4Teens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to meet youth where they are, and culture is part of that,\u201d Underwood said.<\/p>\n

Schools can also play a part in filling these gaps on the South and West sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that there\u2019s a great opportunity for schools to be like the glue that brings everything together,\u201d said Julio Flores, program director for\u00a0the Alliance<\/a>, which promotes school safety for LGBTQ+ youth through advocacy, education, youth programming and research.<\/p>\n

For some students, he said, school-based GSAs are the only affirming space they have.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA GSA can be the only affirming space a young person has,\u201d Flores said.<\/p>\n

And those spaces can change a student\u2019s trajectory, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen young people can lead a GSA, they\u2019re not just building community, they\u2019re building the skills they\u2019ll use in college, in jobs and in life,\u201d Flores said.<\/p>\n

Why geography matters for opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

The gaps in geography don\u2019t just shape whether young queer people can find community. They also shape whether they\u2019re set up to succeed.<\/p>\n

At TaskForce, Ortiz said success often begins with visibility. Young people who first came in for the Vogue School or drop-in services have gone on to train as medical assistants and phlebotomists.<\/p>\n

\"\"A Vogue performance at TaskForce\u2019s 2025 Pride Ball. Photo by Hannah Pewee<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of our youth that frequent the Vogue School start to volunteer. Then we hire and train them, and now they\u2019re building careers,\u201d Ortiz said.<\/p>\n

For youth involved with PrEP 4 Teens, growth is just as tangible.<\/p>\n

Gauna said teens were engaged in a program that empowered them to build the look, feel and voice of a PrEP awareness campaign. By the end of the cohort, youth who had once been too shy to speak were leading workshops, presenting artwork and giving speeches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey started off super shy\u2026 and by the end they were showcasing what this program had done for them \u2014 not just to take charge of their sexual health, but to feel a lot more confident in themselves,\u201d Gauna said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork created by youth from the 2025 PrEP4Teens Arts and Health Ambassador Program. Photo by Hannah Pewee<\/p>\n

Pickett tied those individual transformations back to the bigger picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many queer young people of color don\u2019t necessarily have many safe spaces throughout the day in their lives,\u201d he said. \u201cProviding these opportunities to engage with other young people and develop their skills and have fun and be fully who they are is so empowering. It sets them up for success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robinson of Center on Halsted said the link between geography and opportunity often comes down to whether young people have their most immediate needs met close to home. Without food, shelter or a safe place to connect, long-term success could remain out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people to really have the safety and security they need to think about economic development or to be provided with a stronger footing and foundation to focus on maybe college or career, they need to have some of their most basic needs met,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

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