Buttons made at one of our youth meetings

Our Mission

To Provide a safe and supportive space for the physical, emotional, and social well-being of LGBTQI youth through the   formation of peer relationships, community building and individual empowerment 

Our History

Gainesville Equality Youth was initially conceptualized by a pediatric medical student. She and her advisor recognized a need for a safe place for LGBTQ teens to convene and support each other. The med student applied for, and was awarded, a grant to formulate the group in 2012.

Her advisor and some local community members got together and formed an initial plan for the organization. They reached out to additional volunteer partners, and together, they started hammering out the details. The founding stakeholders brainstormed programming ideas, discussed boundary issues, and shared group management skills.  

The initial youth meetings produced a small but loyal group of returning members. Slowly, the number of teen attendants increased and the youth group created their own creed and identified their own programming wishes.  The stakeholders cemented two important partnerships: Alachua County Library District, where the bimonthly meetings are held, and the Pride Community Center, who allows the group to operate under their non-profit status.  The youth group has been running continuously for two years now, and the foundation is strong.

​GEY is looking forward to growing in size, and in community engagement, and hopes you will join them in their mission.​