Rose Yard is counting down the days until her 18th birthday on Sept. 9. While some teenagers may look forward to being able to vote, or getting a tattoo or piercing without adult permission, she is excited to go to the doctor to get the medical care she needs and replenish the dwindling supplies of hormones she needs as a trans woman.

“When I did get my hormones, it was really life-saving,” Yard said. “I don’t mean that lightly. I mean truly, I would not be here without that.”

She always knew she was a girl, but her appearance didn’t yet reflect that. Unsatisfied with the way she looked, Yard contemplated suicide several times as young as 8 years old. Bullying and ostracism at the private Christian school that she attended only made things worse.

After three years of fighting it, she finally mustered up the courage to begin transitioning. At 13, she began taking prescribed hormones, until Sept. 3, 2023, when Senate Bill 14 went into effect, banning transgender youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy. 

“I’ve worked so hard to get there and then to have that taken away from me .. that was really devastating,” Yard said.

But for one night, Yard didn’t have to worry about an uncertain future. At the Contemporary Art Museum Houston’s fourth-annual “Queer Teen Night” Thursday, she was able to relax and enjoy being a teen with others like her. She was among dozens of LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 18 who attended the museum’s event, which each year gives queer teens a safe space to build community. The theme, “Divining Queer Futures,” encourages teens to manifest their own queer world — one free of discrimination, hate and violence. To go along with the theme, local drag artist Kumquat read teens’ tarot, in addition to other activities, such as a queer book exchange, a silent screening by “The Big Queer Picture Show, an open playlist in which teens could play their own music and free food, drinks and cake.  

The free program was inspired by the museum’s current exhibition: “Olivia Erlanger: If Today Were Tomorrow,” a  series of commissioned sculptures that was informed by the artist’s interest in “closed worlds” — human-made and climate-controlled environments. 

At a time when queer teens are under attack from book bans, targeted legislation and school boards outing youth gender identity to parents, organizers say the program was designed to support contemporary queer living in Texas. 

“Being a young queer person right now, it’s hostile and can feel abrasive, and it can leave a lot of young people feeling hopeless and isolated,” said Jack Morillo, CAMH’s teen council coordinator, who organized the event.

Those hostile places can sometimes be at school, churches, or within a teen’s family, Morillo said. But museums have more leeway to provide a safe space, he said. 

“This is also in part, I would say a response against that — a reminder that there are like other cushions that young queer people can fall back on,” said Morillo. 

Morillo previously was on the teen council’s 2017-2018 cohort. CAMH’s teen council has for 25 years, curated events, programs and exposed teens to contemporary art. This year marked its fourth edition of Queer Teen Night. 

Queer spaces provide healing, community

For two hours, teens ate pizza, popcorn and drank sparkling water, and participated in the event’s programming held in the Cullen Education Resource Room. Some occasionally engaged with the sculptural landscapes from the exhibition while others relaxed on the couch as they watched a short film tied to the exhibition. 

“It’s really healing to be in a queer space,” Yard said. 

Although she now goes to a more accepting school, at times she still feels alienated as one of the only openly trans people at her school. 

“At the end of the day, I still can’t get my medicine that I need to be alive. And that pisses me off sometimes,” she said. “I’ll be sitting in math class, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wait, none of you have had to beg your senators.’ It’s something that I should not be having to deal with.”

Many came for the first time after hearing about it from a friend, through the Montrose Center’s Hatch Youth peer support group, or after seeing a post on Instagram. Some lived in Houston, but others traveled as far as Katy and Spring, desperate to connect with others like them going through similar experiences. 

Ozara Burton heard about the event from a friend who suggested it may be a good way for her— someone who was diagnosed with social anxiety — to get out of her shell. 

“I’m a very nervous person and I can’t properly form sentences,” they said. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to get my words out.”

A similar case is true for Kat Morzheva’s 15-year-old daughter, whom she said sometimes struggles with interacting in large crowds. So when Morzheva heard about Queer Teen Night, she jumped at the opportunity.

“There’s not many LGBTQ activities anywhere and definitely not where we are,” said Morzheva, who lives in Katy within Fort Bend County. 

Although Katy Pride now hosts an annual celebration, such large events can be a little intimidating to forge meaningful connections, she said, and the area still doesn’t have many events catered to teenagers. 

Morzheva’s daughter, whom she requested not be named, started off shy and initially scared to mingle, but within the last half hour, opened up. She even won a raffle, which netted her branded CAMH merchandise. 

“I’m super grateful for this. This is a huge resource,” Morzheva said. 

“People stare when we go out somewhere and you just want to be somewhere where people don’t stare. Representation really matters, and if you do not see other people like you, then you will not be there.”

Toward the end of the evening, staff took the communal experience outdoors for what they called a “participatory performance” celebrating everybody’s birthday, where they lit candles on their cupcakes and sang “Happy Birthday.”

But before they sang, Morillo instructed them to imagine their queer futures. 

“Think about what infrastructure you need to arrive at this future, who you’re bringing with you, what belongs there, and what doesn’t belong there,” he said to the teens as his cupcake struggled to stay lit.

“Think about this world that is populated with so much alive and dynamic queerness. And as you blow the candle, you’re going to imagine if this future has already arrived here.”

Republish This Story

Republish our articles for free, online or in print.