Teens Proudly Come Out With Love

The New York Times celebrates the courageous coming out stories of LGBT youth.

By Thoai Lu May 26, 2011

The past year, Colorlines has reported extensively on anti-LGBT violence. Last fall, Kyla Bella wrote on ways to stop bullying to curb the suicide rates among LGBT teens and college students. This week, the New York Times has embarked on its own coming out project to give teenagers a chance to voice their stories. The Trevor Project, which provides counseling to queer young people, posted a call for teenagers to tell their stories to Times, resulting in nearly 250 responses.

The project consists of a few interactive audio submissions and 33 reader submissions, pitched by youth from different parts of the country. Some came out early on to friends and family, while others describe the trouble they had with disclosing their sexuality. 

There’s the adorably cute story of 17-year-old Elsie Sethi, a senior at Vanguard High School in Manhattan, who describes going to prom with her girlfriend. You can also listen to Kailey Jeanne Cox‘s story: she is 15, from Denton, Texas, and gains confidence from God as she serves as an assistant minister at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. 

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