Transgender Day of Remembrance 2016

Kathryn Gonzales, our Operations and Programs Director delivered a powerfully emotional speech at tonight's Transgender Day of Remembrance.

A full transcript of her speech is available below.

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Hello, my name is Kathryn Gonzales and I am the Operations & Programs Director at Out Youth.
On behalf of the youth, board of directors, and staff of Out Youth, I want to express how humbled and honored we are to support this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Out Youth was founded in 1990 and has served youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities across Central Texas for 26 years. Out Youth is best known for our free individual and family counseling as well as our free and confidential HIV & STI testing, but what we do best is offer youth a place that they can feel at home, a place of warmth and peace. And, by extension, our youth become part of a family that loves, acknowledges, and accepts them for exactly who they are.

As this night approached again this year, I was reminded yet again of my desperate wish, a hope for a day when there are no names on the list.

Yet each year I arrive and sit here, awash in names and grief.

Certainly, I grieve for the loss of those we honor tonight, taken from us by horrific acts of violence.

But I also find myself grieving for the want of memory.

I grieve because I cannot remember them, for all I have been left with are their names and the reverberating silence of their absence.

I grieve because I will never delight in knowing them, at least in this lifetime. I will never know their kindness, their compassion, the unique and captivating beauty of their souls.

And while I may never meet them, I am certain of my love for them. Each and every one. All of those we have lost in years past, and those we seem all but certain lose in the years to come.

So let this be my vow, that my grief will stand as a testament to their lives, a renewed commitment to end this violence, for as long as I am here I will love them and work in honor of their memory in hopes for a day without names.

From the 2016 Glitz Gala Chair

Four years ago, I volunteered to assist with Out Youth’s fall event Glitz. A dear friend had introduced me to the organization and after meeting with staff members Aubrey Wilkerson and Kathryn Gonzales, I quickly saw the dedication and love that surround Out Youth’s mission; to promote the well-being of sexual and gender minority youth so they can safely explore and affirm their identities. I was “in” and eager to lend a hand.

From that moment forward, volunteering with Out Youth has been nothing short of an amazing experience. I have watched an organization grow to serve more and more youth, and I have met incredible community members who, like me, understand the importance of and need for Out Youth. In 2015, I joined the Board of Directors and it has been a privilege collaborating with this group as we aim to empower and protect our youth. 

Now, four years later, volunteered for numerous Out Youth events, I am chairing Glitz 2016.  I am fortunate to have assembled a fabulous committee who are going to make this year’s Glitz the most talked about event of the fall. We promise awesome auction items and delicious food and drink. This committee is making me look good.

I encourage you to attend Glitz, to join me in support of a house that helps so many. Every donation, every dollar, positively impacts the organization and youth we serve. It takes many dedicated friends and businesses for Out Youth to continue its mission. So please join me on Saturday, October 22 and enjoy a fabulous night out while enriching the life of another.