By Jeralynn Borges, staff writer
Downtown Kenosha offers many shops and buildings serving various interests. One building that tends to stand out is the Kenosha Human Development Services on 8th Avenue and one of its newest youth orientated groups is Rainbow Rock Stars.
The LGBT center of Racine had Rainbow Legends created for older members of the LGBT community and a member decided to branch off and create this group just a few months ago and sent out word to local Gay Straight Alliances in town. The advisors, Mary Paredes and Shantá Frieeson, with the help of Jeannine Field, wanted to provide a safe space for students in the LGBT community of Kenosha to discuss how they are treated at schools or to simply meet with others and hang out.
“It’s a group for the LGBT teens to come to, being that they have really nowhere to go to hang out, and get to know each other, or even get connected,” said Paredes, who has her own personal experience accepting her son and now wants to give a place to others who struggle to find a “judge-free zone.”
Many students, and even some adults, struggle every day being in the closet from their families. It can be hard for others to understand what it can be like to hide even questioning sexuality. Field noted an experiment where she brought in all of her staff and had them write down the closest three people to them that they hung out with last weekend and to think of what they did together that was fun. She then told them to imagine trying to tell someone else about their weekend without mentioning that at all. She explained that is basically what it can be like for most hiding LGBTQ students to talk to their parents.
The organization wants to bring the schools together in their own community of LGBT students of Kenosha.
“I think our goal is building a community LGBT group with their allies, connecting schools together, and then getting people out in the community to feel like they’re giving back to the community as well as being a part of a LGBT community and their allies,” said Field.
Frieeson and Paredes agreed that together, as a community, the chances for success are greater. All three of the group advisers have their own reasons for joining forces. These ladies want students who struggle in Kenosha to realize it really does get better when you are older. Sometimes a little help and a place are all that are needed to feel like you belong.
Right here is a group in downtown where they understand being a teenager is hard. Anyone can drop by one of their monthly meetings, the next being on April 3. For more information contact Shawna Ward or the GSA at the Indian Trail library.