To our Kaleidoscope community,

We hope you and your families have had a safe and healthy transition into this new year! As we began 2023, our Kaleidoscope team said a fond farewell to our amazing Jeri Rochman, who served as our Program Director for the past 2 1/2 years. Jay Baldwin, who has been part of Kaleidoscope’s team since the beginning of 2022, will be taking over as new Program Director, and is looking forward to growing Kaleidoscope’s programs and offerings in 2023. We are all excited to offer you several events in the month of February, including a movie night for our LGBTQ+ youth 12-17 and a new in person support group for parents of LGBTQ+ teens. As always, we appreciate your continued financial support, and you can help us to keep these programs going by donating here.

In this month’s blogpost, Program Coordinator Leo Kirkham reflects on the concept of Valentine’s Day and how LGBTQ+ folks and their allies can celebrate and reclaim this traditional and commercialized day of love in new and unique ways.

Lastly, we invite you to follow us on social media and keep current on our clubs and groups meetings as well as special events. Please comment, share, and tag your friends, as we celebrate all things LGBTQIA+ on Instagram @kaleidoscopelgbtq, and follow us on Facebook at KaleidoscopeLGBTQ.

Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season.
-The Kaleidoscope Team

Valentine’s Day is an ancient holiday that has changed over time from a feast day to honor the Christian martyr Saint Valentine, to a holiday celebrating love and romance across the world.  

Some queer and trans people feel that Valentine’s Day is an overly commercialized, heteronormative holiday. Traditional social expectations dictate that Valentine’s Day is a day that a man will purchase flowers, chocolates, and a Hallmark greeting card for a woman.

But from a trans person who doesn’t fit this gender binary, to a gay man who would prefer to be buying the chocolates for another man, to an asexual or aromantic person who doesn’t even have an interest in the whole affair, there are many ways that this traditional Valentine’s narrative does not fit the LGBTQIA community. Rather than participating in the commercial holiday – or in addition to it! – I suggest the following tips for cultivating self-love and community on Valentine’s Day.