Safe Space for Pittsburgh LGBTQ Youth

The room GLCC uses for its Youth Nights. Photo by Matt Petras.

Three teenagers, all in high school, showed up separately one night at the LGBTQ organization GLCC. of Pittsburgh (not an acronym). Throughout the night they went from undecided newcomers to laughing, smiling kids, happy to be solving a puzzle or playing Jenga among newfound friends.

“Until tonight I didn’t have any friends who aren’t straight or cis,” said one of them, named Makayla. “Cis” refers to“Cisgender,” a term regarding those who identify as the sex assigned at birth.

Located in the basement of 210 Grant Street in Downtown, Pittsburgh, the GLCC hosts Youth Nights, providing LGBTQ kids a space for safe conversation, games, and forming friendships. The age ranges loosely from 13-18, but all ages are welcomed.The GLCC used to be called the Gay and Lesbian Center, but the group decided to change their name to welcome people who do not identify as gay or lesbian, like transgender people.

“Trans issues are first in line at the GLCC,” Point Park University junior and trans person Heather Leasure said.

The lack of inclusion for trans people in the old name is not evident in the organization’s operations, according to Leasure.

While there are other volunteers who help, Lindsey Sickler is at the head of the Youth Nights. She has volunteered at GLCC for 10 years, has served as the GLCC Chair for three years and has been on the board for a year longer, she said.

Some of the people who attend the Youth Nights, like Leasure, have been showing up for years. In high school, Leasure’s counselor recommended the GLCC Youth Nights to help her with identity issues, she said. “I just love meeting new people,” Leasure said. “It’s important to be a part of the LGBTQ community as much as possible.”

Leasure was assigned a male name at birth. Around 14 or 15 years old, Leasure came out and identified as a gay male. In Leasure’s sophomore year at Point Park, she came out as genderfluid, preferring feminine identification. It was then that she took on the first name Heather.

That same year, Leasure founded The Rainbow Club at the University, which still operates, but under a new moderator. The club’s goal is to create solidarity among LGBTQ students, whether it be non-straight or non-cisgender people. “There are certain things LGBTQ people understand that straight people don’t,” Leasure said. “We know what it’s like to walk down the street and be looked at because we’re different.”

People of all ages volunteer their time to GLCC, and some help with the Youth Nights. Mark Hupkovicz, 25 years old, has been volunteering at the GLCC since September of 2009 and regularly helps with the Youth Nights. An average day for Hupkovicz involves waking up around 5:00 am, working until around 2:00 pm, and then helping out at the GLCC until seven or later. “It’s exhausting,” he said. And yet, he keeps coming back.

“A place exists where people can be themselves.”

GLCC holds additional services to the community, such as mental health counseling and bingo nights. For more information go to http://www.glccpgh.org/

Matt Petras is an intern for the NewPeople covering LGBTQ issues and local activism. He is a Point Park Class of 2018 Journalism major.

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