This past Saturday, many youth were seen behind a Western & Country gay bar braving the 105 degree weather for one reason and one reason alone: to raise money for Lifewalk. With fruit popsicles in one hand and a hose in the other, we were able to raise a whopping $705 in just under five hours. As a partner agency for 2009, Youth First Texas is collaborating with AIDS Arms to not only support LGBT youth in the North Texas region but also raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
Many thanks go out …

The Dallas Bears recently held their 16th Annual Membership & Awards Banquet at Eddie Deen’s Ranch with more than 50 members and guests in attendance. This annual event is one that recognizes outstanding members of the organization, the community, and awards proceeds of the Dallas Bears Texas Bear Round-Up 13 (TBRU 13), an annual fundraiser benefiting the International Bear Brotherhood and Dallas GLBT community. In a little over 10 years, the Dallas Bears have established the Texas Bear Round-Up as one of the four largest Bear events in the nation. …

Since before we were capable of looking in the mirror and enumerating our flaws, the mantra “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” has been etched into our brains. And magazines, television and movies have saturated our eyes with preconceived notions of what it means to be beautiful. Private scrutiny, coupled with public ridicule, can lead to severe body image issues among all youth, though at times it seems that LGBT youth are hit even harder.
At Youth First Texas, volunteer Kyle Erwin is hoping to address some of those …

Youth First Texas’s very own Dallas PUMP! guest starred in yet another amazing performance hosted by the Turtle Creek Chorale’s small ensemble, ENCORE!, on June 10, 2009 at Theater Three. This show, “Avenue E,” with special guests, Amy Stevenson and Jenny Thurman, plays off of the rising Broadway hit, “Avenue Q.”
This performance concludes Dallas PUMP!’s outstanding season of great achievements.

The GLSEN School House Rock event marked Dallas PUMP!’s humble beginnings performing at the House of Blues on November 17, 2008
Turtle Creek Chorale’s “Hottest Holidays Ahead!” concert at the Meyerson Symphony …

How does one measure the success of Youth First Texas – is it by the variety of programs, the influx of funding, or even the number of days of its existence?
Although these are all very wonderful, let us be reminded of our mission: to empower LGBTQ youth! In the words of Judith Dumont, “We are here to create fearless youth – and fierce, too!”
What can be fiercer than a high school diploma?
The statistics are staggering. According to the 2007 study done by GLSEN, LGBT students were almost twice as likely …

Is your idea of dancing limited to the Robot or the Funky Chicken? Does shaking your groove thing conjure up bad disco images? If you feel like your dance moves are seriously outdated and leave you looking pathetic when you take to the dance floor, Youth First Texas’ latest group may have the solution.
Whether you need a complete overhaul, or just a simple touch up, youth Alex Langley has the group for any dance aficionado or amateur. “A lot of the youth kept saying that we need a dance group,” …

In a statement released Monday by the Press Secretary of The White House, President Barack Obama declared June 2009 as national LGBT month.
From THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary:
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to …

For one day out of every year, countless LGBTQ youth and their allies take a day-long vow of silence, to honor those who have been silenced, and to bring awareness to the fact that as a minority, the LGBTQ community is silenced in school settings. The National Day of Silence has served as the largest recognized motion to bring the struggles of LGBTQ youth into the spotlight.
That could all change starting next week. The National Youth Awareness Coalition, in collaboration with youth-serving organizations across the country is promoting the inaugural …

What Youth First Texas is all about.
Videography by: Heather Viguerias, David Alvarado, Jessica Ogle, Jason Clemente, and Michael Mueller
Graphic by: Michael Todd
Edited by: Michael Mueller

UPDATE: It’ll be on Memorial Day on May 25.
We will meet at West End Station by 10:30 and we will wait for Youth to arrive up until 10:52am. That gives enough time for two dart trains to pass by. By 10:52 will start heading to the museum.
The tour should be an hour long, so we should be leaving by 12pm. Then we will take a small walk around downtown.We also had a chane of plans instead we will meander around Dealy Plaza, through the West End, up past AAC …