One of the organizations which often doesn’t receive enough publicity for their hard work is undergoing major changes within the next few months. The GLSEN Pittsburgh board of directors has voted and is now working with the national office on a transition process to cease operations. The idea is that organizations with paid staff and adequate support can better meet the needs of LGBTQIA youth. Groups like Persad, Dreams if Hope, and PSEC (now the Youth Congress) have been doing wonderful work and have the resources needed to keep that great work going.

Some will see this as a loss of a vital organization, but after speaking with several individuals, my take on this is that it is really just a re-organization of resources and an effort to minimize the duplication of services, with an emphasis on what’s best for the youth that need to be served.