About Live Out Loud
Live Out Loud is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth, ages 13 through 18. Our mission is to partner with families, schools, and communities to provide LGBTQ+ youth with resources, role models, and opportunities that help them discover their voice and become leaders of change.
Live Out Loud was established in 2001 by Founder and Executive Director, Leo Preziosi, Jr., in response to the disproportionately high rates of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, due to bullying, discrimination, and hostile school, home, and community environments.
Live Out Loud works with schools, parents, and community organizations to provide programs for LGBTQ+ youth to build their knowledge of LGTBQ+ history and struggles for equality, increase their awareness of current issues and challenges, build their self-esteem, develop leadership and advocacy skills, and foster safe communities and spaces of allies and peers. We strive to help LGTBQ+ youth feel proud, strong, confident, and ready to engage the world so that they can “live out loud” and reach their full potential.
On an individual level, we help LGBTQ+ youth navigate the challenges of adolescence as they explore and develop their identities, self-esteem, and relationships. On a community-level, we are working, in partnership with other community advocates and leaders, to create an environment that is safe, respectful, and inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth. This is achieved through education, training, and professional development with school leadership, teachers, parents, and other community members.
We envision a world where LGBTQ+ youth are free to fully express and experience themselves as they achieve academic success, have healthy relationships, pursue rewarding careers, and achieve their life’s goals and dreams.
