Our Vision of the Future
A vibrant community where every youth thrives in their expression of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
Our Mission
The Queer Youth Task Force (QYTF) is comprised of individuals and organizations that work with, or support, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) youth. We strive to improve the quality of life for all LGBTIQ youth in our community, as well as children raised in homes where LGBTIQ people live by:
- Fostering strong inter-generational collaboration by soliciting feedback from, and working with, youth.
- Identifying queer youths’ unmet needs and evaluating responses.
- Strategizing and implementing new resources, and improvements to existing resources.
- Improving awareness of available community resources and fostering collaboration of services.
- Supporting LGBTIQ related education, advocacy, inter-agency interactions and media opportunities.
- Addressing perceptions of queer youth by themselves, their families, their schools and the community.
Our mission is intended to proactively enhance understanding and respond if oppression occurs. The Task Force is an affiliate of The Diversity Center. For additional information, contact us at (831) 427-4004 or email.
Quote
Statement of Congressman Sam Farr (D) – Santa Cruz/Monterey on the floor of the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. on National Day of Silence, April 10, 2002:
“Mr. Speaker, today across the country thousands of students on our college campuses are silent. They are silent as a sign of solidarity with persons who — because of sexual orientation and gender identification — cannot speak for themselves. They are silent as a form of protest against a society that silences persons who are different, persons who do not meet main street’s definition of “proper”.
“They are silent but we here in Congress should not be.
“We should shout and raise our voices and call for an end to discrimination and prejudice against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons. We should affirm – loudly – that on this Day of Silence, America has the capacity and the heart to say all persons are just that: persons, and here in America all persons are deserving of fair treatment.”