05/25/2026
For our final Mindful Monday, we wanted to share more information about one of our community partners, Q+. We spoke with Bliss Kern, Director of Support Services and 2026 participant!
Bliss shares, "LGBTQIA+ youth are facing increased negative national and local messaging about the validity and morality of their identities. This is on top of well-documented, ongoing higher risks for su***de or persistent suicidal ideation, violence, addiction, homelessness, and trafficking. LGBTQIA+ youth are up to eight times more likely than cishet youth to attempt su***de. In Connecticut schools, our youth are experiencing bullying from peers with often ineffective and occasionally actively hostile response from teachers and school administrators. All of this can increase negative self image, school avoidance, and mental and physical health struggles.
National research by many groups (including Trevor Project, GLSEN, and Family Acceptance Project) reveals that the number one protective factor for q***r youth is family acceptance, followed by community supports such as safe social spaces, skill-building programs, q***r mentors and role models, and normalizing q***r identity. Q Plus youth programs build all of those factors into youth programs and support family acceptance through simultaneous parent and caregiver support groups.
To keep our young folks healthy and thriving, one of our best tools is building resilience. At Q+ we do this through creating youth activity and support spaces across the state where LGBTQIA+ youth and their friends can exist and play in a non-judgmental environment for a couple hours a week. There they can use their chosen name, their most comfortable pronouns, and wear the clothes and accessories that feel good to them. They can meet peers who share similar experiences and chat with supportive adults, who are often also members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Youth can see a brighter future for themselves, and just as importantly they can let their defenses down and just be young and playful. Normalizing diversity, appreciation for the experiences of others, increasing representation of LGBTQIA+ and other minoritized identities in school curriculums, supporting parents and guardians in their journeys to affirm their youth, and protecting access to representational books in libraries are all important tools for supporting these youth. Positive identity development is the key to meeting social and academic milestones: giving youth the tools to accomplish that is literally life saving."
