BEL AIR, Md. — Starting in January, there will be a new space for LGBTQ+ teens in Harford County to "just be kids."
The county's health department is launching "Free to Be," a program of monthly gatherings in Bel Air for teens ages 12 to 17.
Julie Stancliff, medical director of behavioral health for the health department, said program volunteer Carla Mattioli "worked in a school system, and myself, I've had some family members that have struggled with this specific issue. We looked through Harford County; there's not much out there for these kids. And so, we wanted to make a space that is for them, where they can hang out, be themselves, no judgment, and just be kids and be with each other, be part of a larger community so that they feel connected."
The gatherings will take place on the first Friday of each month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Health Department on 120 South Hays Street. Teens mustsign up onlinebefore attending, but there is no limit on attendees. The meetings will include adult chaperones, as well as peers who are in their late teens, early twenties, or thirties - but the program is intended to be teen-led.
Stancliff said:
"It's really a nice, private space for these kids to come to where they can just be kids. We know [with] the LGBTQ+ community, we know there's a high risk of suicide, we know there's a high risk of depression. We want to be a safe place for these kids in a community, to be part of a community where they can just be kids and hang out and feel no judgment, feel respected, and feel valued."
She said the group offers something different from some other LGBT resources in the county, such as Gay-Straight Alliances in area schools.
"Some kids might not feel comfortable at school coming out. They're still not sure," she said. "Gender identity is fluid, it's not something that's static, and so these kids may not feel comfortable in a school setting talking about what they're experiencing, what they're going through. So this gives you a different kind of space, where you don't have to then see Tommy who's in your history class. And so, that's why it's different from a school-based [program], because obviously it's more confidential... You just have the ability to kind of be yourself and not worry the next day if you're going to be judged or talked about."
The first meeting will be Jan. 6, and Stancliff said some people have already registered.
