What light...?

I have always been in theatre. I have been an actress and a director. I have done anything and everything on the technical side, but one side I had never conquered was playwriting. I was perfectly happy being a minor actress and a lead technician. Two years ago, I acted in a program called P.U.P Fest, a.k.a Playwrights Under Progress Fest. Five plays are handpicked, cast, rehearsed, and performed by teenagers in grades 9-12. After that experience, I fell in love with P.U.P Fest and swore I would write a show and be picked to participate again—as a playwright.

Last year, I was too busy. This year, I felt like I needed to expand my horizons. The school year started, but my life was still a whirlpool with hardly a second to write anything, let alone a play. Months went by, and then it was April: the deadline was Thursday, and it was Monday. What the heck? I sat down, and in a matter of hours, I had a play. I zoomed it through a quick edit and sent it on its way to the theatre company. A few weeks went by, and I received a call. I had made it! Wow, best feeling in the world. Talk about cloud nine—more like cloud 39!

Playwright Charis Royal

My play, “There’s Something Wrong in Wonderland: A Romiet and Julio Story,” was a comedy-spoof wrapped up in a tragedy. Based on a twisted version of “Romeo and Juliet,” a high school boy named Jule falls asleep right before a Shakespeare test. The next thing he knows, he wakes up in the middle of “Romeo and Juliet,” as Juliet. The characters in Shakespeare’s original “Romeo and Juliet” land in some strange world: all the women think they are men, and vice-versa. There’s an obsessive “boy”-friend, an over possessive “brother,” a horribly biased cat, and a slightly insane nurse. The combination leads to a disastrous version of “Romeo and Juliet” that Jule with never forget!

The whole gender swap in my show and the confusion of whom, or rather, what gender the characters are, can be connected to how many LGBTQ youth don’t know how they identify. Many of my fellow youth at Youth First Texas are transgender or gender-queer. Many took years to realize who and what they are. Seeing actors who are not LGBTQ try to fit in these roles was eye opening, and I hope that when my play is performed again the director will play up the gender confusion, and the fact the “girls” in the show are “butch” and the Friar is feminine.

During the week of rehearsal, I met a group of people I will never forget. They brought my story to life, and I am so thankful to them for giving me a chance of a lifetime!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Earlier this summer, a group from YFT turned a regularly scheduled Open Mic night into a field trip to the McKinney Avenue Contemporary to show support for Charis and to see her play.

The cast stops for a group photo

Youth First Texas presents:
The 2nd Annual Youth Fashion Show:
“Give ‘Em Heel:Candy Extravaganza!”
Featuring youth designers and fabulous youth performers from YFT!

Thursday, July 8th 2010 at The Rose Room located upstairs at S4.
Doors open at 6:30 pm – $10 Admission.
Fancy Mocktails and Free Food!

All proceeds benefits Youth First Texas’ New Youth Center and Programming.

All ages welcome – Must have an ID to get in (School IDs will be accepted as IDs as long as they are picture IDs)

This is an Alcohol and Drug free event.

For information about becoming a sponsor, please contact Vic Rodriguez at v.r.rodriguez@live.com.

Movin’ on up | Judith Dumont has been director of youth services at Youth First Texas for 2 1?2 years. She will continue to work with LGBT youth in her new position at Eastfield College. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice)

Dumont leaving YFT
By DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
Dallas Voice

Youth director’s experience with LGBT youth makes her a perfect fit for program targeting at-risk students at Eastfield College

On June 10, Judith Dumont announced that her last day at Youth First Texas would be this Friday, June 18. She has been director of youth services at the agency for the past 2 1/2 years.

On the night of her announcement, she assured the youth at the center that said she was not going to suddenly disappear from their lives.

“I’m like herpes,” she told them. “I won’t go away.”

She said she was going back to her roots to practice therapy. She will become a volunteer counselor for the group. As the organization’s director, she said, she couldn’t be an objective counselor.

Dumont holds an M.Ed in Counseling from the University of North Texas. But she said she never went looking for another job.

“I was scouted,” she said.

Kristine Vowels, a volunteer and member of YFT’s advisory board, hired Dumont as a resource specialist for Eastfield College’s “Gateway to College” program, which is funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In her new position, Dumont will form partnerships with a variety of groups to help at-risk students finish high school while earning a college degree. The program is open to students 16-to-24 years old. She said her first collaboration would be with Youth First Texas.

Vowels said she hired Dumont because of her connection to the LGBT community.

“Knowing there’s an ally out there for LGBT students should make a difference,” she said.

Dumont began working at Youth First Texas as a volunteer. After nine months she was hired as the agency’s director of administration. While on staff, she began developing greater access to counseling for the agency’s youth.

“We’ve been able to create a partnership with SMU at Legacy and earned a reputation throughout North Texas as a great place to do an internship,” she said.

Dumont said that the agency currently provides about 15 individual client sessions and two groups helping a total of almost 50 youth per week.

“That alleviates the staff from constantly managing crises,” she said.

Dumont also developed Leadership Corps, a series that teaches youth self-examination, community building and activism. She said the goal of the series was, “How can we put you out in the world to create a less homophobic society?”

Dumont said she accepted her new position because she looked ahead to where she would like to be by the time she is 40. To get there, it was time for her to move on.

Dumont said YFT’s move to a new, safer location had a major impact on the organization. Since the move, YFT has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of youth served, according to Sam Wilkes, director of development and administration.

At the same time, Wilkes said that there has been a decrease in sustaining donors, due to the economic recession. It’s put YFT on a tight budget.

“We’re paying close attention to our finances,” he said.

He said there has been an influx of youth accessing their food pantry, noting that a disproportionate number of homeless youth are LGBT who have been thrown out by their families.

Board president Cathy Gonzalez said the organization’s two biggest expenses are salaries for its two staff members and rent. She said that not having one of those positions would help in the short run, but they had already budgeted for it.

“Any money saved on salary will be put in reserve,” Gonzalez said.

She said there has been a suggestion to cut hours at the center this summer to save money, and that the board would meet this week to decide.

“We don’t want to get into a situation where we have to turn any youth away,” she said.

She also said that some of YFT’s biggest donations come later in the summer. The youth board is raising money with garage sales, car washes and the annual fashion show at Rose Room on July 8.

One of the agency’s fundraising events is Gaytona, on July 2, which Gonzalez describes as “remote control racecars, partying, beer and lots of fun in the heat.”

The event is held in the parking lot behind S4 on Cedar Springs Road.

Despite any savings, Gonzalez was sad to see Dumont leave but knew she would continue to be involved in YFT.

“She is the one who is responsible for the exponential growth of our services that focus on our mission statement,” Gonzalez said. “We’re changing lives, and Judith gets a lot of praise for leading us in that direction.”

Gonzalez said YFT planned for growth after the move but didn’t expect it this quickly. The agency expects even more youth accessing the facility when DART’s new Market Center Station across the street from their new location opens with the Green Line extension in December.

Gonzalez said that the board would put together a search committee in the fall to look for a replacement for Dumont.

“For the summer, activities and programs will be staffed with volunteers,” Gonzalez said.

Dumont said she would continue to work with the group as a volunteer. She said she will see two programs she began to the end: the fashion show and youth activist camp.

Youth activist camp will be held over the summer on the University of North Texas campus. YFT has formed a partnership with the Texas Gay Straight Alliance Network and hosts the North Texas region.

“I expect the Texas GSA Network to be our biggest outreach tool, bringing even more youth to YFT and help create safer schools,” Dumont said.

And through her new position, she’ll see to it that more LGBT youth finish high school while earning college degrees.

This article appeared in the National Pride edition in the Dallas Voice print edition June 18, 2010.

© Copyright by DallasVoice.com

The film festival will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 (11AM to 5PM) in Addison. Tickets ($15) can be purchased at the DOA Blood Bath Entertainment website.

The event will be emceed by two of YFT youth: Efran Garza and Erika Ochoa.

Agency for LGBTQ youth moves to new, larger location, institutes code of conduct for youth, volunteers

SURFING SAFELY | Sam Wilkes and Judith Dumont show off the kitchen and computer area in the new Youth First Texas center. (Tammye Nash/Dallas Voice)

Everybody needs a safe haven now and then. And few people need it more than LGBT and questioning youth trying to find their own identity and navigate through an often-hostile world.

Providing that much-needed safe space for LGBTQ youth has been one of the primary goals for Youth First Texas since its beginnings. But the organization’s old digs on Maple Avenue weren’t really conducive to that effort.

Up until last November, YFT’s youth center was housed in a building that was also home to a methadone clinic and to an evangelical church — neither of which was a particularly safe environment for young people working out their identities as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, said Judith Dumont, YFT’s director of youth services.

“Parents would bring their kids to the center, and they’d see where it was and what was around it, and they would be nervous to drop their kids off there,” Dumont said.

The young people, she added, were often nervous, too, about the area.

But that changed when YFT moved into its new facilities at 3918 Harry Hines Blvd.

It was, in reality, a move of only a couple of miles in actual distance. But the new location is worlds away from the old one in all the ways that really count, said Sam Wilkes, director of development for the organization.

YFT held its annual Thanksgiving dinner for the youth in the old center last November. When dinner was through, they migrated to the new location for dessert. It was the first official event at the Harry Hines location.

Then the center “went dark” for about a week and a half while staff and volunteers moved the furniture and other supplies and equipment to the new location.

“Then we were here. It was pretty bare bones at first, but we were here. But it didn’t really feel like home until about January, when we really got things up and running again,” Dumont said.

The new center has about 500 square feet more space than the old location, and the interior was finished out to specifically fit YFT’s needs. Dumont and Wilkes each have their own office, and there are private rooms for the volunteer counselors to hold either individual or group sessions.

There is a large meeting room where the center holds its weekly Thursday programs, and a kitchen area that includes a kind of Internet café complete with a number of computers set up with wifi connections.

And — a huge plus — the center has its own gender-neutral restrooms. That’s a big deal, Dumont said, considering that the center used to share restrooms with the methadone clinic and the evangelical church.

New rules

The move to the new facility didn’t just make the center a safer space in the physical sense. With the move, new rules and procedures were put into place that have made it safer for the youth emotionally and intellectually, too, Dumont and Wilkes said.

First is the new intake form that allows YFT staff and volunteers to find out, in about five minutes, why an individual has come to the center. By identifying that young person’s individual needs and interests, Dumont said, staff and volunteers are better able to point toward the activities and assistance that will fill those needs.

Maybe one person needs some one-on-one counseling to help them figure out who they are and what they want. Perhaps group counseling is their best option. Or maybe they just want somewhere to go to be around other LGBT youth and accepting adults.

“Of the youth that come here, about 85 percent of their parents know that they are gay or lesbian or trans or questioning,” Dumont said. “But even when their parents know, that doesn’t mean it’s easy for them being out at home. A lot of times, the parents don’t know how to respond, and the youth being gay is like the big rainbow elephant in the room. These kids go home and do their homework and then just stay in their rooms, beause there is that tension.

“Here, they can be themselves. They can come here, and if they want to wear a dress or put on make-up or whatever, they can do that,” she said.

Wilkes added, “This is a safe place where they can test the boundaries and find out what they like and what they want, and do it without being judged. This is an open environment that gives them the space and the safety to develop their identity and healthy habits.”

And to make sure that safety stays in place, YFT has instituted a revised code of conduct that requires the youth who come to YFT to respect the space and each other. That means everything from referring to each other with an individual’s own preferred gender pronouns or “PGPs,” to keeping the facility clean, to staying away from alcohol and drugs (use of which are strictly forbidden at the center).

The code of conduct, Dumont says, allows the center’s staff and volunteers to “guide them to make responsible decisions, without being parents or police.”

And those who violate the rules must either shape up, or ship out.

“We do have some youth who don’t uphold the code. When that happens, we are willing to give them a second chance. But then, if they are still not willing to follow the code, then they are banned from the center,” Dumont said.

Wilkes added, “Our rules carry no weight if we’re not willing to enforce them. And without the rules, this isn’t that safe space it should be.”

Once a youth has been banned, he or she “can’t walk through these doors again unless they have demonstrated a marked change in their behavior,” Dumont said.

The adult volunteers

With only two paid staff members, Youth First Texas relies heavily on its adult volunteers to keep the center open and the programs running. And again, the concept of the safe space comes into play.

Dumont said that every adult volunteer must go through an extensive, multi-state background check, and any kind of drug- or alcohol-related offense is a deal breaker. The volunteers — and staff — are also required to follow a code of ethics.

“Following that code really requires our volunteers to make some healthy decisions of their own,” she said. “I know that it has required me to better exercise my own ethical and moral code, and to set some healthy boundaries.”

The center has five licensed counselors who volunteer their services, as well as a roster of other adult volunteers who just want to help mentor the next generation. And while YFT is always looking to recruit a diverse range of new volunteers, both Dumont and Wilkes warned that volunteers need to make sure they have taken off any rose-colored glasses before they sign on.

“Our volunteer retention isn’t what we’d like it to be,” Dumont acknowledged. “It takes a very special adult to come in here and really be ready to mentor these young people.”

Wilkes said YFT has a volunteer network of about 100 people, with about 30 who are “super active” in the organization. Dumont noted that several area organizations work with YFT, giving special credit to Dallas Bears and Black Tie Dinner. “We couldn’t have made this move without them,” she said.

She and Wilkes also offered special thanks to Lory Masters, JC Penney’s, Fast Signs and Richard Gordon, all of whom either donated furnishings and art or services to the move. The Solender-Hall Group, they added, helped find the new location and then donated their fee back to YFT.

YFT also has a volunteer board of adults who oversee its operations, and a Youth Leadership board that also participates in governing the organization.

Already the move to the new location and the changes that came with it are beginning to pay off, Dumont and Wilkes agreed. At the Maple Avenue location, the majority of the youth using the center were 18 and older. Now, with the safer location and the stricter rules, there has been a significant spike in the number of youth ages 14 to 16 who are coming to YFT.

And overall, they said, the center now has the room to grow alongside the young people it serves.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 21, 2010.

© Copyright by DallasVoice.com

Ms. Pandora Boxx poses with Victoria Fitzgerald.

Good things happen to those who wait. I never quite understood this quote until recently when I received a call with an invitation to meet some of the cast from Rupaul’s Drag Race, Season 2. I’ve always been a faithful fan, but never would I have imagined getting to meet the girls, who had performed at Fort Worth’s Rainbow Lounge the night before, and were in Dallas as guests of couture designer Nicolas Villalba.

As four other youth, Wilford Brown, John McKnight, Steven Richmond, and William Morvant, along with a volunteer and I walked into the nearby Villalba Design studio, we were all grinning and ready to see the beauty up close. We walked in and saw Tatianna, Jessica Wild, and my hero Pandora Boxx talking to the other guests. A few associates of Mr. Villalba approached us with greetings and asked questions about the show as well as Youth First Texas. Eventually Miss Pandora Boxx, with her platinum hair and ruby lips, came around to hug us; when it was my turn, I went dry-mouthed and started to shake. I did in fact manage to keep myself calm as we chatted with her and a local reporter. My enthusiasm made it obvious that I was a huge Pandora fan, so I was asked about my favorite quote from this funny lady. I simply said, “No quote, but I will always remember the time she fell as she,” to borrow from the show’s lingo, “sashayed away from the main stage.” After a short fun conversation with the queen of Campiness, we were soon approached by Miss Thing, Tatianna. With killer legs, chic chin length bob, and makeup so flawless it looked airbrushed, the 21 year old star struck an easy rapport with our group—probably because she’s so close to us in age. All of us had such a fun time talking with her. We asked lots questions, concerning RuPaul, life after the show, and, of course, all the back stage drama, until she had to step away to resume her fitting with Mr. Villalba. Soon after, we were united with all the girls, including sultry Jessica Wild, who explained that when not working as a drag superstar, she makes her living as a makeup artist. We took pictures and wrapped up for the night.

I said to goodbye to Pandora with a little tear and told her that she was my biggest inspiration and her story, so closely mirroring my own, meant a lot to me. She leaned toward me and said, as her voice cracked ever so slightly, “You’re so sweet.” I felt sad but also incredibly inspired. When I was hugging Jessica goodbye, she said to me, “One day you will be a beautiful drag queen. Never be scared of anything.”

And with that, I really had a bigger desire to be the hottest drag queen of my century and maybe one day become America’s Next Drag Superstar!

Tatianna poses with representatives from Youth First Texas

We are feasting on a delicious spread of RAINBOW colored pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and mixed fruit. There will also be juice galore and more! The price to eat is a suggested donation of $5.00. All proceeds benefit the GSA Activist Camp being held in north Texas at UNT.

The feast begins from 6pm-8pm in the parking lot of YFT. From 8-9pm we’ll be having the ceremony indoors.

FYI: The dinner will be held during BIG Group!

Invite anyone and everyone. It’s open to the public.

Celebrate the legacy of Harvey Milk, outspoken activist for the LGBTQ community, while Youth First Texas recognizes some of our own community “angels”.  Join us on Sunday May 23rd for a fabulous champagne brunch at Dish, the newest place to eat on Cedar Springs.

Seating is limited so get your tickets today.

I made special effort to get here, despite working long hours and living in Plano without a car. Today is “Gender Specific Toy Night.”

In Gender Identity Group we were asked to bring a toy that plagued or delighted us during childhood so we could unpack the emotions associated with it. At first I couldn’t focus on anything. Most of my toys were gender-neutral, with the exception of my action figures I played with like Barbies. I had Legos, chemistry sets, telescopes, microscopes, space ships, models, video games and other toys that were certainly nerdy, but not really gendered.

Then I remembered one toy of mine that was gender-neutral to everyone but my daddy: my Cabbage Patch Doll. He had spiky blond hair and blue eyes, “Because he’s my baby,” I often shared with other girls my age. I couldn’t quite understand why my doll was a boy when all the other girls had girls, so I fondly named him, “Boy”. As an adult I learned my daddy threw a fit when I first received him and anytime I went in public with him, which was constant until school started. The women of my family came to my defense and said there was nothing wrong with my behavior, which he begrudgingly accepted.

Although I grew out of my doll phase I still loved and prized him over all my stuffed toys. But at the age of 12 my daddy sold Boy at a garage sale while I was visiting my mom. I cried like I had lost a family member. I could see my daddy’s disapproval of my gendered behavior was much stronger than I realized and thereafter tried to “be a man” in his presence. My mother tried to console me by tearing into daddy but the damage was done.

Ever since, I’ve hoped to find another doll like Boy, but no such luck. So I went to Target the day before to get a generic doll substitute. I selected a doll with yellow yarn hair and blue eyes and purchased her with no discomfort or embarrassment. Only after talking with another girl tonight do I realized this was the first time I have ever made a purchase from “The Pink Aisle”. I remember being so drawn to that aisle as a child but feeling physically ill because I knew I wasn’t “supposed” to like them. I believed every patron would know my secret shame from my mere presence in the aisle. Now that I’ve grown up it’s easy for me to forget how far I’ve come. I know if I went back in time and told 8-year-old Dorian that she’d be buying dresses, makeup and babydolls without any trouble when she’s a grown-up she’d tell me I was full of it. The distance I’ve traveled absolutely amazes me sometimes.

Blogger Laquilla Coleman

Our Stories, Our Voices is a blog series written by the youth for other youth about issues they have had to deal with in their lives.

At the end of the day I ask myself, I wonder what it’s like? To be Bisexual or heck even Lesbian. When I say that I’m a straight ally a part of me says but you are totally checking out that chick sitting on the couch wondering what her parents would think of you and her together. It’s a very confusing thing/time for me especially since I’m in college and no one or nothing can stop me!
Well, I feel that way sometimes lol. I want to be able to be true to myself because some people don’t even know that I’m an ally if I was bi or lesbian, I don’t think anyone would know. I claimed I was bisexual a while back for about a month or four. It felt for lack of a better word, right. Then I got smacked with the fist of God and I completely “changed”. On the outside I totally changed but in my mind, in my ? I felt as if I was lying to myself. I knew that I liked girls, I knew that I fantasized about them all the time.
For a while I thought maybe the environment that I’m around is making me think these thoughts so I tore myself away from my dear friends of the LGBT community for about two years as I battled with my heart what’s right for me and for my morals. I questioned so much that I became depressed, it harmed me more than it helped me. So I decided well maybe God will let me be an ally because I strongly believe in equal rights. I felt a little better but I still can’t shake these thoughts that I have of being with girls. I think I scared myself into not talking to girls or trying to get to know a potential girl. I have no idea what to say or do. It’s different with a guy I suppose.
This is totally confusing! I have had a fling with one girl and dated another for about 4 months. I felt alive, I felt strong, I thought that I found what I wanted. When all that was over, I felt weird, like a normal kid (funny right?). I don’t want you guys to think that I want to be different or I think that being lesbian or bi is just a phase for me. I thought about girls when I was in 6th grade. I figured since I wasn’t dating a guy that I’m going to date a girl. I convinced a friend of mine to get naked so I could see what she looks like. After that, I didn’t think about girls until freshman year and I dated this girl, she was great. She smelled like beef and strawberries and she had me in the palm of her hand. She always made me a Mexican style breakfast every morning and we always went to the Galleria to hang out after school. My religion and spirituality was failing and I felt like a monster for letting that happen. So when I had my fling, I tore her in two telling her that this could never happen since my religion won’t allow me.
I was soo unhappy but I realized that it was for the betterment of myself. I want to be true to myself while still having my close relationship to God and I always question, can that be possible? And if I decided that I’m bi or lesbian am I prepared to lose the support of my minister and his family and my friends? It’s heartbreaking because I love them so much and they are like my 3rd family twice removed, they have been there through thick and thin so lying to them is not an option. Besides, I’m a sucky liar. Then, the words of my grandma echoes in my head, “if you have to think twice about doing something, then you shouldn’t do it at all.” that throws me off in so many ways because if I look back when I considered dating someone, my mind went right in the middle of a guy and a girl. *sigh* this is a gigantic headache that I have brought upon myself!
Ha Ha Ha Ha whew this is getting too serious! Joke time: nah, I don’t have one.
I don’t want me being bisexual lose my chances of dating a guy as well as a girl but then again they probably weren’t worth it then huh? I don’t want me being lesbian hinder me from getting a job. The question: “if you don’t want to go through all of that then why even consider being bi or lesbian?” I always talk myself in circles because there is always another answer, another way to look at it. I need to stop b.s.’n around and decide if the sweet and tender voice of someone calling my name that sends butterflies to my stomach and curves of a woman fitting oh so right in my arms is worth losing friends and loved ones? Is being called a “carpet muncher” going to effect how I see myself? Is hiding who I really am help my case of telling others to be true to themselves? Do I want all the goods and none of the bad things?
Lots of things to consider. Now that I don’t have to deal with paying rent at the age of 17 while trying to pay for my mom’s HIV meds, I can really start to focus on myself. I didn’t know where to start but now this subject has popped up plenty of times. I felt like venting my emotions because everyone sees the girl who is so sure of herself and is always cracking jokes or hugging people. I’m not sure if I’m ready to understand life yet. My mind is just telling me to “choose” a side but my heart is letting me know that I can take my time. It’s hard to focus on yourself when your whole life you focused on others. I feel selfish and rude and sometimes just grumpy! This is a long road that some of us choose. It will be the most successful though!