Luis Sandoval enjoyed learning the skills of becoming a runway model in last fall’s Slay the Runway event, when LGBTQIA+ youth were offered design, performance and sewing classes over an eight-week program. Their toil was capped off by a chance to display themselves and their creations to peers at a professionally produced runway show.
But the 18-year-old Sandoval also discovered that the Slay the Runwayprogram provided a comfort zone that has been otherwise hard for him to slip into as a trans youth.
“Something that really meant a lot to me is how I was treated with respect and acceptance as one of the trans youth in the program,” Sandoval said via email. “My gender presentation was never questioned, and I felt good not to have to worry about ‘passing’ as a guy in this space, which is something I sometimes struggle with.”
“While I am trans-masculine and consider myself as such,” Sandoval added,. “I was able to to be as authentically and frilly as I wanted to, and I was still addressed properly by my peers and mentors.”
Next week, Out Boulder, Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation and gender identity Support’s (OASOS) Youth Advocating for Change, Slay the Runway Designers — including instructors Eliane Waterman and Steven Frost — and the Slay the Runway Parent Panel will be sharing ways to be a more supportive friend and ally to LGBTQIA+ youth.
The virtual caregivers conference is to “assist in creating safe and celebratory spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth” and is scheduled March 7 from 4-8 p.m, according to a news release from the Firehouse Art Center.
The event will be streamed live from Longmont Public Media and be available at the Firehouse Art Center Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The event is free and all ages and identities are welcome to attend, said Elaine Waterman, executive director of the Firehouse Art Center.
“We aim to increase support and community connection for a population of youth suffering from marginalized and discrimination by creating an affirming and accessible space where creativity, expression and positive self-image are celebrated,” Waterman said in the news release.
Slay the Runway offers fashion and design courses at the Firehouse Art Center and Boulder Public Library’s Building 61 Maker Space. At the conclusion of the eight weeks, students participate in a professionally produced runway show premiering in CU-Boulder’s ATLAS Institute’s B2 Center for Media Arts and Performance, the news release states.
Last fall’s program — in which Sandoval participated — was offered at no cost to the teens and was supported by a “generous” grant from Arts in Society and Redline Contemporary Arts Center, the news release states.
The program will be returning as a Summer Workshop from June 28 through July 8, Waterman said. Sandoval said his 17-year-old brother Alejnadro will take part in the summer program.
Sandoval said everyone in last fall’s program was supportive in preparing for the final runway show. “It was truly an environment of love, validation, and awareness and I think it’s incredibly significant to have these spaces for trans and gender nonconforming youth who may not get the same treatment from the rest of society,” he said.
Instructors were also helpful and understanding with Waterman providing Sandoval with additional studio time during the weekends. Sandoval said he takes a little longer than most people to do things.
He was able to overcome anxiety about walking in front of an audience, thanks to Elle Hong, who helped participants craft their runway walks, Sandoval said. Hong, he said, “advised me to embody the persona of the haughty aristocrat my outfit was meant to convey.”
“With my emotions in check,” Sandoval said, “I was able to fully enjoy the night of the performance and feel a lasting sense of accomplishment and excitement afterwards.”
