LGBTQ teens harness leadership skills for Queerly Magical dance

Through Out Boulder County’s youth program, LGBTQ teens are developing leadership skills while having a little fun.

A pair of teen-focused events, the Queer, Trans and People of Color, or QTPOC, Youth Retreat on October 1 and the Queerly Magical Youth Dance on October 23, bring  diversity, inclusion and community building to county youth.

A trio of teen interns for Out Boulder County, or OBC, worked with Youth Program Manager Jenna Howerton and Youth Program Assistant Chris Castaneda to throw the annual LGBTQ Youth Dance. Coming from all around the county, teens Lee Trombly (they, their), GG Donaldson (they, their) and Gabby Clark spent the past two months planning the Queerly Magical dance as an inclusive party which offers a little bit of something for everyone.

Castaneda noted that the typical high school dance experiences — formals, homecoming and prom — are more heteronormative and that LGBTQ inclusion can often seem like an afterthought.

“I think it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for our youth,” Castaneda said. “Being able to provide a space for our community can do wonders for building up and expressing ourselves as queer folks.”

Trombly developed events through their involvement with 4H, but noted the difference between event planning in the two organizations. Since attendance at 4H events was mandatory there was no need to worry about recruitment or marketing, they said, so creating a youth dance with a broader scope was a fun challenge. Likewise, Donaldson planned a variety of events through other extracurriculars but nothing quite as large as the dance, they said. 

The teens all agreed that working together as a team to make the best party they could was a great experience. Once the nerves of meeting new people wore off, the trio worked like a “well-oiled machine,” Donaldson said.

“This is my first time planning a big event like this, but so far everything has been running smoothly,” Clark said. “We wanted to make this a magical night for everyone that they can remember for years to come.”

Queerly Magical, free to attend for LGBTQ youth aged 13-18, will be held on October 23 at the YMCA in Lafayette. The Halloween-themed party will be packed with games, costume contests, a raffle, snacks and more. The teens wanted to create a unique experience to make it stand out among other Halloween parties and make sure that it is a LGBTQ safe space for youth that might not feel comfortable elsewhere.

Volunteers are still needed to fill in some roles, including room monitors to serve food or watch over games and people willing to decorate the YMCA beforehand. The volunteer sign-up can be found through Out Boulder County directly.

“We can’t do all this with just the three of us, so we’ll take anyone and everyone,” Trombly said. “There’s always going to be a job to do.”

Before the dance, Castaneda and the OBC team will be leading the QTPOC retreat October 1-3 . Now in its second year, the retreat is meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across racial and cultural lines. 

With a focus on personal development, community building and leadership skills, the retreat is an opportunity for the QTPOC youth to hear new perspectives. The application for the retreat asks participants to consider the needs of their community — applicants so far have brought up issues surrounding climate change, social equity, arts accessibility and more, Castaneda said.

Participants will learn how to perform community needs assessments, as well as participate in grant writing and higher education focused workshops. It won’t be all work, Castaneda said, the teens will also get to play games and have dance parties.

Limited space is available for the QTPOC retreat, Castaneda said, and two thirds of the slots have already been filled. Participation is open to queer and trans youth of color ages 13-18. The application can be found online in both English and Spanish.