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Netasha wears many hats in the Frederick Center Community: volunteer, client, game master, creative mind. She is also one of the longest standing members of our community. She has attended Frederick Center programs since the first Pride picnic in 2013. At the time, she was 30 years old and had just come out of the […]
Together
(Names and photos have been changed for the sake of the family’s privacy.) When Quinn’s second oldest child came out, they did not know how to react. “Growing up in the deep south, being gay or being trans wasn’t something you could do,” Quinn explained. When they tried to look for resources in their deeply […]
Thirty-Five Years
Growing up in Texas, being gay was never an option for Matt. “In college, I had a personal crisis where I was starting to realize that I was gay.” He remembered. “And in Texas? In the 70s? Deep in the Bible Belt? No, you don’t do that. You can’t be gay.” Instead, Matt buried himself […]
Starting Again
When Ed moved back to Frederick to take care of his sick mother in 2021, he felt like he had just pressed the reboot button on his life. “I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘I’m 65, single again, and living in my mother’s basement’,” he chuckled. “That didn’t make me sound very appealing, I think.” Shortly after […]
The Strength to Fight
As the parent of an LGBTQ+ child, Vy would do anything to make sure their son is happy and safe. “I’ll fight for Sebastian until the day I die.” They shared. “But fighting for myself was harder.” Vy always knew they were bisexual, even at a young age. But when their own son began his […]
Out of His Shell
When Sebastian came out in 8th grade, he was one of only two out, gay kids in his school. “I was bullied a lot. It felt like I had a target on my back.” He remembered. “It didn’t help that we had spent the previous year in COVID lock-down. I felt isolated and didn’t know […]
A Happy Ending
Gabriela was the first member of Youth Group Jr. When she first came to the Frederick Center, she was one of two people in that support group. When Gabriela came out as a lesbian at age 10, she lost all her friends at catholic school. “I was the only queer person at school, and I […]
