The Mutiny has just begun

The Mutiny is a movement led by activist Kyle Rapinan to gain “Queer Youth Space” in Seattle which he feels should be actually driven by queer youth.

An email recently went out explaining the group’s position:
(The bolding is mine)

Queer Youth Space (“QYS”) is an initiative by a coalition of youth and adult community organizers, in partnership with the Seattle Young People’s Project, an organization known for youth-led organizing and queer rights work. QYS envisions creating space for queer youth in Seattle that is sustainable, productive, organic, progressive, educated, safe, and dynamic.

While acknowledging the meaningful role of existing LGBT spaces, we recognize a cultural shift among young people to more fluid identities. QYS embraces an expansive view of queer involving all people who seek to eliminate heterosexism. Our coalition has the enthusiasm and experience to build queer youth space that is organized by young queer people and run by queer youth and their allies.

Currently, if you are under 21 you cannot enter into many queer spaces in Seattle, and those that are open have a host of systemic problems. We are committed to queer space that does not see to “fix” or “help” young people, but instead views young people as the primary actors in our own personal and community growth. There is a disengagement occurring with queer youth and the established LGBT presence in Seattle. We believe that the lack of connectedness of queer youth is due in large part to the lack of dedicated space and also the widespread marginalization of young people in LGBT spaces due to ageism and capitalism. The primacy of the marriage campaign, coupled with the lack of intergenerational social space and events discourages queer youth from feeling connected to the overall LGBT scene.

Our vision is to create sustainable queer youth space(s) in the city run by young people. The decisions, vision, motive, and movement of such a space are to be orchestrated by the very young people that the program is designed to serve. We will organize this vision through the first:

Hosting a Queer Youth Mutiny: a youth forum, to gage the services currently offered to queer youth and figure out where the youth constituency feels supported and abandoned.

I am not so sure which side is actually guilty of ageism here but most people would agree that it appears that not enough space/events are dedicated to queer underage youth. I think one reason such space does not exist is that just about any underage event is open and friendly to LGBT’s since young people are so much more at ease and integrated within the non-LGBT population and there is less “heterosexism” from young gays then with people from my older generation.

The criticism from Rapinan cited in this posting by The Stranger about current afterhours underage events is that the clubs are “serving youth on a platter to a bunch of drunk, middle-aged men.” One thing for sure is Rapinan’s energy and enthusiasm is admirable and hopefully he puts his effort into constructive use rather than just trying to tear down and isolate what already exists.

For more info or to get involved: queeryouthspace.com.
You can also be their fan at Facebook.
If you want to hear the issues or voice your concerns, their next event is Saturday, February 20 3pm at Seattle Central Community College. More info is here.