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When Luigi Ferrer, Director of Programs at Pridelines Youth Services
in Miami, brought 30 gay kids (and one straight girl with two lesbian
moms) from the Miami-Dade school system to Fort Lauderdale’s Birch Park a
week ago for a four-day camp, he was not sure what would happen. He was
also aware of the many things that could go wrong despite careful
planning and skilled management. His anticipation was mixed with some
anxiety.
“About half of them were regular attendees at Prideline events, and
the other half were from Miami Dade high schools. About half of the kids
knew each other but some didn’t know anyone else in the group. These
are city kids who started the weekend saying things like ‘We hate the
outdoors’. We didn’t know what to expect but we had high hopes for the
weekend.”
A year ago, Luigi discussed his idea for CampOUT with park ranger
Mark Foley. “I envisioned a retreat primarily for kids who are leaders
in their gay/straight alliance groups. At Pridelines, we are all about
youth enrichment activities, and one purpose for CampOUT was to develop a
youth counsel that would be trained to lead discussion groups and
social gatherings. I also thought it wouldn’t hurt for these kids to
learn about nature and to experience the real flora and fauna of
Florida.” Mark encouraged him and arranged for support from Birch Park
that would guarantee a safe and educational experience for the group.
With the sponsorship of six advocacy groups: Safe Schools South Florida,
Equality Florida, Sunserve, Red Cross, Drag It Out and The Alliance for
GLBTQ Youth, parents received an invitation from the school board to
register their kids for CampOUT, “a three-day Youth Leadership
Development Retreat” with activities including “cabin camping, nature
hikes, great food, campfires, interactive workshops and tons of fun!”
The sponsoring groups sent professionals to lead workshops about
“Bullying, Safety and Self-Defense, Sex Education, Race and Social
Justice Issues, Culinary/Healthy Eating Habits, Being a transgender Ally
and Leadership and Career Building Skills”. Two of the youths at the
camp were not fully out to their parents, but counselors were present to
handle the worries and fears that might surface in the course of the
weekend. Parents concerned about the safety of their children would be
assured by the proficiency of the staff and the meticulous agenda for
the weekend, but they would also be comforted to know that leading the
camp would be a man with twenty years of local leadership in LGBTQ
advocacy and social service.
When Luigi Ferrer was in high school, there were no gay/straight
alliances, no “It Gets Better” videos and no safe spaces for a teenager
discovering his sexuality. Young guys like Luigi got their sex education
cruising the beaches, bars and bookstores of Miami. In his early 20s,
he became involved with a new organization that is now Pridelines, a
community group “dedicated to supporting, educating and empowering
South Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning
youth in a safe and diverse environment.” Luigi went on to become a
marine biologist and a concerned environmentalist. He served as
executive director for the Body Positive Resource Center and the
Bisexual Foundation and held key management and program development
positions with several national HIV specialty pharmacies. “I’ve always
worked in Miami except for a stint with the Massachusetts Public Health
Department – there was a love interest at the time that brought me up
there – but after three winters I wanted to come home. I was working
toward my degree in oceanography when I participated in a blood drive in
1985 and discovered I was HIV-positive. Suddenly the bottom of the
ocean didn’t seem so important. My priorities shifted. I had very few
sex partners so I know that I was infected in 1979. I started on meds in
1986/87 when AZT first came out. I was taking 1600 milligrams a day and
it felt like I was constantly punched in the stomach. It was like a
ridiculously strong regimen. There was a time when I had zero T cells.
Every time a new drug came on the market I’d try it. Finally, there were
protease inhibitors. I try once year to share my story because the kids
need to know these things or they will forget about the realities. At
CampOUT, I used my story and a self help book for people with HIV called
“The Color of Light” to guide a daily mediation on forgiveness,
nurturing the child within, reaching your dreams and preparing for
success.”
Did CampOUT succeed? Well beyond expectations.
“One thing I did not expect was the transformative aspect of the
experience. It led one boy to come out to his parents – we have followed
up with them – and it changed a group of 30 kids into a family. They
explored the world around them and the world inside them. By the end of
the weekend, they were insisting that we do this again, and these are
kids who ordinarily don’t go to summer camp because they would be picked
on or harassed. Our main purpose in all the work we do is to improve
the quality of life for the kids. Doing what we do for these kids is
like parenting but I’m more like an uncle who arranges a first job
interview or opens a door for them that their parents might not be able
to do. Sometimes we are the ones who reconcile kids with their parents
and can strengthen family bonds.”
Luigi and Ranger Mark say the park can handle up to 60 kids, and that
based on their first experience, they will definitely do it again.
For more information about Pridelines: https://www.pridelines.org/
